Review of the Description about the Baekje Refugees’Moving to Tang China on the Epitaph Tablet Text

Author : ​Jihyun Park

Page : 5-46

Abstract

  Research on the Baekje Refugees in Tang China has been conducted using their epitaph tablet text (墓誌) as important data. This is because the epitaph tablet text contains information on the deceased's funeral and burial site, official posts held, genealogy, family details, and the year of birth and death. However, the information recorded in the epitaph tablets had been chosen by the descendants of the deceased according to their needs. The descendants tried to emphasize the contents that could contribute to their successful careers, the solidarity of family members, and the status of a family, and reduce the contents that were not. Tang China used how much they contributed to its interests as an important criterion when giving office posts to the ruling class of other states surrendered. On the epitaph tablet text of a person who had wreaked damage on Tang China, like a Heukchi Sangji (黑齒常之), the background and process of his migration to Tang China was vaguely and briefly described, the achievements he had made by acting as a Tang’s official were emphasized. On the other hand, on the epitaph tablet text of a person who made a clear contribution to the conquest of Goguryeo by Tang China, like a Namsaeng (男生), the background and process of the deceased's migration to Tang China was described in detail. In this way, the Baekje Refugees tried to strengthen the political and social status of the family. So the figurative expressions referring to the confusion of domestic politics or Baekje's attitude against Tang China’s foreign policy were used to justify their surrender and show their loyalty to Tang China on the epitaph tablet text of Ye gun (禰軍), Ye Sikjin (禰寔進), Jin Beopja (陳法子), and Buyeo Yung (扶餘隆).

<Key Word>​

the Baekje Refugees in Tang China, epitaph tablet text (墓誌), Ye gun (禰軍), Ye Sikjin (禰寔進), Jin Beopja (陳法子), Buyeo Yung (扶餘隆)​

​