Goguryeo Stele Inscriptions

by Anonymous

Also known as: Goguryeo Steles, Goguryeobi Inscriptions, Gwanggaeto Stele and Related Inscriptions, Koguryo Stele Inscriptions, Goguryeo Epigraphic Corpus

Goguryeo Stele Inscriptions cover
Oral:100 BCE-400 CE
Written:414-600 CE
Length:68 lines, (~0.6 hours)
Goguryeo Stele Inscriptions cover
A corpus of Classical Chinese stone inscriptions commemorating Goguryeo kings, campaigns, and territorial claims. Centered on the 414 CE Gwanggaeto Stele, the texts mix royal eulogy, conquest records, and foundation lore.

Description

The Goguryeo stele inscriptions are epigraphic records carved in Classical Chinese, principally the monumental Gwanggaeto Stele (414 CE) at Ji’an, which celebrates King Gwanggaeto’s lineage and military achievements while invoking the founding myth of Jumong. Additional inscriptions, including the Jungwon Goguryeo Stele on the Korean peninsula, document administration, boundaries, and royal presence in newly secured regions. Together they form a first-hand chronicle of Goguryeo’s expansion, relations with Baekje, Silla, Wa, and northern tribes, and the ideological grounding of kingship in heaven-endorsed ancestry. The language is formulaic and laudatory yet dense with dates, places, and titulature, making the corpus a cornerstone for reconstructing late 4th–6th century Northeast Asian history.

Historiography

Rediscovered and studied intensively since the late 19th century via rubbings and squeezes, the inscriptions have suffered weathering and earlier lime-washing that complicate readings. Scholarly debates center on damaged passages—most famously the Gwanggaeto Stele’s “Wa” lines and their implications for early Japanese activity on the peninsula. Modern epigraphic methods, archaeological context, and improved photographs have refined restorations. The Jungwon Goguryeo Stele’s 20th-century discovery added crucial data on Goguryeo’s administration south of the peninsula’s central mountains.

Date Notes

Corpus anchored by the Gwanggaeto Stele (erected 414 CE); additional Goguryeo inscriptions such as the Jungwon Goguryeo Stele date to the late 5th–6th centuries.

Major Characters

  • Gwanggaeto
  • Jangsu
  • Jumong (Dongmyeong)

Myths

  • The Heavenly Ancestry of the Kings
  • The Birth and Exploits of Jumong
  • Divine Protection of Goguryeo

Facts

  • Carved in Classical Chinese, the inscriptions record royal deeds and titles.
  • The Gwanggaeto Stele was erected in 414 CE near Ji’an, close to the Yalu River.
  • The corpus preserves a version of the Jumong foundation myth linking kingship to heaven.
  • Damaged and weathered surfaces have led to competing restorations of several lines.
  • Debate persists over the “Wa” passage concerning early Japanese military activity on the peninsula.
  • The Jungwon Goguryeo Stele attests to Goguryeo presence and administration south of the central Korean mountains.
  • Epigraphic rubbings from the late 19th–early 20th centuries are key but sometimes compromised by prior lime application.
  • Inscriptions combine eulogy with precise toponyms, reign years, and campaign logistics.
  • The texts are pivotal for reconstructing Goguryeo–Baekje–Silla relations in the late 4th–5th centuries.
  • Modern high-resolution imaging and field surveys have improved readings of obscured characters.