How a Japanese artist depicted Korean envoys (Joseon Tongsinsa) visiting Japan.

How a Japanese artist depicted Korean envoys (Joseon Tongsinsa) visiting Japan.

The Joseon Tongsinsa were large-scale diplomatic and cultural exchange missions dispatched from Korea’s Joseon Dynasty to Japan. The term tongsinsa literally means “envoys of communication built on trust”.

Historical context

  • Post-Imjin War: The missions began after diplomatic relations were severed during the Imjin War (1592–1598).
  • Request from Japan: Starting in 1607, the Tokugawa shogunate requested that Joseon send these missions to reestablish diplomatic ties.
  • Peace and stability: Joseon, though considering Japan a former enemy, chose diplomacy to ensure peace and stability for its people.
  • Total missions: A total of 12 official missions were dispatched between 1607 and 1811.

Composition and purpose

  • Large-scale delegation: The envoys were composed of several hundred people, including chief envoys, officials, scholars, painters, and acrobats.
  • Goodwill and congratulations: While formally sent to convey messages from the Joseon king and congratulate the new shoguns, the missions also served to restore trust and promote friendly relations.
  • Cultural exchange: Beyond their diplomatic duties, the missions played a crucial role as cultural conduits, introducing advanced Korean culture, arts, and scholarship to Japan.

Legacy

  • Mutual understanding: The journeys, which involved sea voyages and land travel to Edo (modern-day Tokyo), fostered significant cultural exchange and deepened mutual understanding.
  • UNESCO Memory of the World: The documents and records related to the Joseon Tongsinsa, which detail the history of peace-building and cultural exchange between Korea and Japan, were jointly registered with UNESCO’s Memory of the World in 2017.
  • End of missions: The missions eventually ceased due to internal turmoil in Japan and the changing dynamics between the two countries, leading up to the Meiji Restoration.

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