SunWuKong
06-29-2003, 12:34 AM
Hwarang: Warriors of Silla
by Radford Tam
In about 50 B.C., Korea entered a chapter of its history known as the Three Kingdoms period that was to last until about 688 A.D. During this period, the Korean Peninsula was caught in a power struggle between the kingdoms of Silla, Koguryo, and Paekche. In 540 A.D., a sixteen-year old King Chinhung ascended to the Silla throne. During his rule, he not only had to fight for power with Koguryo and Paekche, he also had to contend with an influential China and an encroaching Japan. The need for loyal and talented people to work for the Silla court was never more important, and in the latter years of his reign, King Chinhung established the training of a group of young men known as Hwarang, “Flowering Youth”.
There was no official way of measuring the abilities of candidates for government service, and King Chinhung believed that by observing young men at play, it was possible to observe their true character and talents. Virtuous young men of good character were selected mostly from high-ranking officials to become Hwarang. They traveled to distant mountains for physical training, to entertain each other, and to enjoy the beauties of nature. Their physical training consisted of swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, and the martial arts. A skilled Hwarang was said to be able to kill an opponent instantly by penetrating his bamboo lamellar armor with a single thrusting punch. The Hwarang were not only able warriors, they were also highly literate young men, well read in Chinese classics and military strategies. Their philosophy was rooted in Korean shamanism, integrated with moral codes and ideals from Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
A Hwarang did not stay a Hwarang for the rest of his life. Hwarang schooling was the training ground to produce an elite corps of skilled, educated, and loyal young men that would become the backbone of Silla. Many Hwarang became very powerful generals, government officials, religious leaders, etc. In fact, most of Silla’s greatest military leaders and bravest warriors were once Hwarang. Their fighting spirit and loyalty contributed greatly to the survival and success of the Silla Kingdom.
by Radford Tam
In about 50 B.C., Korea entered a chapter of its history known as the Three Kingdoms period that was to last until about 688 A.D. During this period, the Korean Peninsula was caught in a power struggle between the kingdoms of Silla, Koguryo, and Paekche. In 540 A.D., a sixteen-year old King Chinhung ascended to the Silla throne. During his rule, he not only had to fight for power with Koguryo and Paekche, he also had to contend with an influential China and an encroaching Japan. The need for loyal and talented people to work for the Silla court was never more important, and in the latter years of his reign, King Chinhung established the training of a group of young men known as Hwarang, “Flowering Youth”.
There was no official way of measuring the abilities of candidates for government service, and King Chinhung believed that by observing young men at play, it was possible to observe their true character and talents. Virtuous young men of good character were selected mostly from high-ranking officials to become Hwarang. They traveled to distant mountains for physical training, to entertain each other, and to enjoy the beauties of nature. Their physical training consisted of swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, and the martial arts. A skilled Hwarang was said to be able to kill an opponent instantly by penetrating his bamboo lamellar armor with a single thrusting punch. The Hwarang were not only able warriors, they were also highly literate young men, well read in Chinese classics and military strategies. Their philosophy was rooted in Korean shamanism, integrated with moral codes and ideals from Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
A Hwarang did not stay a Hwarang for the rest of his life. Hwarang schooling was the training ground to produce an elite corps of skilled, educated, and loyal young men that would become the backbone of Silla. Many Hwarang became very powerful generals, government officials, religious leaders, etc. In fact, most of Silla’s greatest military leaders and bravest warriors were once Hwarang. Their fighting spirit and loyalty contributed greatly to the survival and success of the Silla Kingdom.