Baekje Empire of East Asia 해양제국 백제 (百濟)

During the turbulent years in East Asia's mainland, from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), chaotic Six Dynasties Period (220 - 589), Sui (581 - 618) to Tang Dynasty (618 - 906), there was the Baekje Empire, which ruled continuously from 18 BCE to 660 CE, for 678 years.

Baekje's vassal states surrounding the Yellow Sea (West Sea) and the rest of Asian kingdoms along the continent's coasts brought rich and colorful culture to fruition for the naval empire.

When Emperor Muryeong of Baekje died, we learned that his coffin was made with Japanese umbrella-pine lumber, which does not grow in Korea.

Emperor Muryeong's burial chamber was made with bricks, in typical Liang dynasty (梁
502 ~ 557) burial style, instead of the traditional stone-wall burial chambers typical of Baekje, Goguryeo, Buyeo, Shilla and Gaya confederacy people.

Liang dynasty's territory during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589) period included the coastal areas south of the Shandong Peninsula, the cradle of Dongyi people, whose ethnic and cultural ancestry ties to modern Koreans are well known.

Dongyi people are credited with inventing the original East Asian written language, the Oracle bone scripts.

Baekje people left a valuable history on a burial tablet, which was left inside the tomb of Emperor Muryeong. They called Muryeong's death a "Boong" (붕 崩) - a clear reference to the passing of an emperor.

The Book of Qi, or Book of Southern Qi Dynasty (479 - 502), records a Baekje war against the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534) of the Xianbei people.

In the year 490, hundreds of thousands of Wei cavalry attacked Baekje. King Dongseong the Great of Baekje defended Baekje with leaders of his vassal states inflicting considerable damage to the Wei. As an emperor, Dongseong the Great promoted several of his generals to various vassal states in locations in modern day Hebei province near Beijing, Shandong province on the Yellow Sea, and Jiangsu province north of Shanghai, all along the Yellow Sea.

The national identity of Baekje, which she inherited from Buyeo, was based on the indigenous population, and the empire's name was even changed to “Southern Buyeo” at one point.

In the Sam-Han Period of the Byeon-Han, Jin-Han, and Ma-Han confederacies during the first century BCE, one of the original tribal states named “Baekje” was among the 54 nations in Ma-Han, whose name some scholars believe Baekje Empire adopted later.

More than a thousand years after Baekje Empire was destroyed by the Shilla/Tang allied forces, Baekje's cultural heritage remains deep in our culture and in neighboring states.

According to Japanese historical records, the island nation’s name of Yamato became Nippon (Japan), which means “the land where the sun rises,” a perspective from the continent looking toward the Japanese islands.

Between the late 7th century and 701, some 1.5 million refugees came to Japan after the fall of Baekje and Goguryeo, according to Japanese historical records.

Baekje, Gaya and Goguryeo migration also shows up in dogs. There are many northern spitz breed dogs in Japan, which not only look similar to native Korean dogs such as Jindo and Poongsan, but DNA comparisons confirm a close match with Korean dogs.

Japan's Emperor Akihito, during his 68th birthday press conference, announced that "he felt personal attachment to Korea" because of the blood ties of his ancestors. "I, for my part, feel a certain kinship with Korea, given the fact that it is recorded in the Chronicles of Japan that the mother of Emperor Kammu was of the line of King Muryeong of Baekje."

You can see the scope of Baekje's far global reach in their artwork.

The Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, Korea's National Treasure No. 287, which stands 24 inches (61.8 cm) tall and weighs 26 lbs (11.8 kg), clearly features a person riding an elephant. Other animals, including a monkey from distant Southeast Asian places, not indigenous to Korea, are sculpted on the incense burner.

After the fall of Baekje, the stonemasons of Baekje who created such masterpieces as Rock-carved Buddha Triad in Seosan county, sculpted statues and pagodas of the Unified Shilla, and their artwork transcended to another level.

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