いわゆる「小高句麗國」の存否問題

Abstract

Dr. Hino Kaizaburo published A Study of Koguryo-minor Kingdom 『小高句麗國の研究』 in 1984, in which he argued the existence of a Koguryo-minor Kingdom from 699 to 918 in Liaodong province whose kings were of legitimate descent from Koguryo royalty. In this paper, the author attempts a close reexamination of the sources on which Dr. Hino's argument was based. As a result, he proves that in fact no source exists which positively affirms the existence of such a kingdom, and that on the contrary there are some facts that demonstrate that it could not have existed. For instance, legitimate descendants of Koguryo royalty resided at the capital of Tang China, and the Liaodong region was regarded as its own territory by the Tang dynasty. Reappraising the state of affairs in the late seventh century when the Koguryo-minor Kingdom is said to have risen, the author points out the following facts. First, the Tang government sent expeditionary forces to suppress the remnants of the Khitan 契丹 in the Liaodong region. Secondly, the Tang government planned to send Ko Powon 高寳元, a legitimate descendant of Koguryo royalty, to divert Andong Supervisor-in-chief Ko Kusu 高仇須, a leader of the people of Koguryo in the Liaodong region. In the third place, Ko Tongmu 高徳武, a collateral descendant of Koguryo royalty, was appointed as Andong Supervisor-in-chief in 699 to control the local people of Koguryo. It is therefore impossible to interpret the appointment of Ko Tongmu as Andong Supervisor-in-chief as the rise of a Koguryo-minor Kingdom as Dr. Hino has done.