魏晉 시대 歸義印 사례와 「晉高句驪歸義侯」印

초록

This paper examines the question of authenticity and the historical significance of the recently publicized gold seal inscribed “Jin Goguryeo Guiyi Hou” (晉高句驪歸義侯) by situating it within the overall corpus of guiyi seals (歸義印) bestowed upon foreign polities (waiyi, 外夷) during the Wei–Jin period. Among the various known guiyi seals, the two gold seals discovered in 1956 at Liangcheng County—“Jin Wuwan Guiyi Hou” (晉烏丸歸義侯) and “Jin Xianbei Guiyi Hou” (晉鮮卑歸義侯)—may serve as comparative benchmarks for Western Jin guiyi seals. In terms of dimensions, proportions, knob form, and inscriptional layout, the “Jin Goguryeo Guiyi Hou” seal corresponds closely with these examples, making it highly likely that they were produced in roughly the same period under similar institutional systems and workshop conditions. The four gold seals—“Jin Goguryeo Guiyi Hou,” “Jin Buyeo Guiyi King” (晉夫餘歸義王), “Jin Wuwan Guiyi Hou,” and “Jin Xianbei Guiyi Hou”—can all be identified morphologically as horse-knobbed seals (ma-niu yin, 馬鈕印). This suggests that, during the Wei–Jin period, the bestowal of horse-knobbed seals upon elite leaders of northeastern foreign groups—such as Goguryeo, Buyeo, Wuwan, and Xianbei—was a customary practice. It is plausible that the horse knob embodied a nomadic, mounted image symbolizing the northeastern waiyi. An examination of the inscriptions and overall forms indicates that the “Jin Goguryeo Guiyi Hou” seal does not markedly deviate from what would be expected of an authentic seal, whereas the “Jin Buyeo Guiyi King” seal requires more cautious and critical scrutiny. The “Jin Goguryeo Guiyi Hou” seal was most likely bestowed not upon the Goguryeo king himself, but upon a royal kinsman or high-ranking official responsible for foreign relations, functioning as both a practical credential and a symbolic token. Around the year 285, amid the collapse and restoration of Buyeo and the external challenge of countering the Murong Xianbei, contacts and cooperation between Goguryeo and the Western Jin intensified. Together with a number of bronze seals of the shuai-shan (率善) type, this seal may be understood as a material witness to that historical context. Recent Chinese media reports and some scholarly interpretations have portrayed this seal as evidence that Goguryeo was subordinated to Central Plains dynasties such as the Western Jin; however, such a view distorts the actual dynamics of ancient East Asian relations. Guiyi seals and other waiyi seals of the Wei–Jin period should not be interpreted as markers of a “domination–subordination” relationship, but rather as credentials employed in reciprocal diplomatic interactions. At present, it is necessary to refrain from assigning strong historical certainty to either the “Jin Goguryeo Guiyi Hou” seal or the “Jin Buyeo Guiyi King” seal. As the circumstances of their discovery remain unclear, the possibility of forgery cannot be ruled out. Only when the objects themselves are fully disclosed, subjected to scientific analysis, and accompanied by concrete information regarding their provenance will it be possible to engage in a more definitive discussion of their historical authenticity and significance.

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