Jinhan confederacy 진한 (辰韓)
194 BC–4th Century CE
Jinhan is on the far right.
Common languages	Han
Religion	Shamanism
Government	Confederacy
Historical era	Ancient
• Establishment	194 BC
• Submission to Silla	4th Century CE
Preceded by Succeeded by Jin (Korean state) Silla
Today part of	South Korea

Jinhan (Korean: 진한; Korean pronunciation: [tɕin.ɦan]) was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD in the southern Korean Peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province. Jinhan was one of the Samhan (or "Three Hans"), along with Byeonhan and Mahan. Apparently descending from the Jin state of southern Korea, Jinhan was absorbed by the later Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Etymology

"Jinhan (辰韓)" is believed to be a combination of Old Korean words. "Jin (진)" in native Korean meant "East" while "Han (한)" meant "big",^[1] giving the meaning of Jinhan, the "Big Nation of the East".

As part of the Samhan, Mahan meant "Big Nation of the South" and Byeonhan meant "Big Nation of Shimmer".^[2]

History

Part of a series on the
History of Korea
Prehistoric period Jeulmun Mumun
Ancient period Gojoseon  ? – 108 BC * Dangun * Gija * Wiman Jin 4th–2rd century BC Yemaek
Proto–Three Kingdoms period Buyeo Eastern Galsa Goguryeo Okjeo Dongye Samhan Ma Byeon Jin Tamna Four Commanderies of Han
Three Kingdoms period Goguryeo 37 BC–668 AD Baekje 18 BC–660 AD Silla 57 BC–935 AD Gaya confederacy 42–562
Northern and Southern period United Silla (Unified Silla) 668–935 Balhae 698–926
Later Three Kingdoms period Later Baekje 892–936 Taebong (Later Goguryeo) 901–918 Unified Silla (Later Silla) 668–935
Dynastic period Goryeo 918–1392 Joseon 1392–1897 Korean Empire 1897–1910
Colonial period Japanese rule 1910–1945 Provisional Government 1919–1948
Modern period Military governments 1945–1948 North-South division 1945–present * North 1948–present * South 1948–present
By topic Art Currency Education Geography Historiography Language Military (List · Goguryeo) Monarchs (Family tree) Names (Era names) Naval Politics (Joseon · North · South) Science and technology World Heritage Sites (North · South)
Timeline
Korea portal
v t e

Jinhan, like the other Samhan confederacies, arose out of the confusion and migration following the fall of Wiman Joseon in 108 BC.

A claim found in the Chinese annals, San Guo Zhi and the History of the Northern Dynasties states that refugees from the Lelang area found Jinhan after political turmoil of the Qin dynasty at the end of the 3rd century BCE and carried over the name "Qin/秦".^[3] The first ever mention of Qin-Jinhan claim is found in the San Guo Zhi.

辰韓耆老自言秦之亡人避苦役適韓國馬韓割東界地與之。
Jinhan, according to an old man, is a land Mahan shared to the refugees of the Lelang area.

— San Guo Zhi

辰韓在馬韓之東、其耆老傳世、自言古之亡人避秦役來適韓國、馬韓割其東界地與之。
Jinhan is located in the east of Mahan. According to an old man, Mahan shared parts of its land to the refugees or the Lelang area which became Jinhan.

— History of the Northern Dynasties

However, due to the dates overlapping with the Jin state (4th~2nd century BCE)^[4] and no Korean historical documents backing this claim,^[5] it is criticized by modern historians as the Samhan kingdoms (including Jinhan) specifically claimed successorship over Jin (辰國) and not the Qin Dynasty (秦朝).^[4] The claim found in the annals is also questioned for its validity as both sources allude to an elderly man of no social importance and is mostly regarded as a false rumor used for Sinocentric propaganda.^[6] In addition, the Qin dynasty story is only found in Chinese records and not in any of the surviving and/or lost Korean texts. It should also be noted that the History of the Northern Dynasties, being written after the San Guo Zhi, repeats much of the same claims (Qin-Jinhan refugee theory, Mahan sharing its lands, referencing an old man, etc) which puts the claims under scrutiny as they're repeated statements of the San Guo Zhi and do not provide any additional information or evidence to back the story. The claim is further discredited as Korea's Samguk Sagi (a history book written by Kim Bu-sik which heavily focuses on facts that allude to credible sources) states that the first king of Silla (the kingdom that succeeded Jinhan) built the kingdom alongside the indigenous Koreans from Gojoseon.^[7]

先是、朝鮮遺民分居山谷之間、爲六村、一曰閼川楊山村、二曰突山髙墟村、三曰觜山珍支村 或云干珍村、四曰茂山大樹村、五曰金山加利村、六曰明活山髙耶村、是爲辰韓六部。
There were six countries in the area founded by the indigenous Koreans of Gojoseon [...] these were the six countries of Jinhan.

— Kim Bu-sik, Samguk Sagi

It is also referenced in the Samguk Sagi that Kim Bu-sik took notes from now lost books called "Guksa (國史/National History Book [of Silla])", "Silla Gogi (新羅古記/Annals of Silla)" and "Jaewangyeondaeryeok (帝王年代歷/Records of the Kings)",^[7] Korean books that were written during the Three Kingdoms period when studying about Jinhan, which suggests that the indegineous Koreans did not believe in the Qin dynasty story as well. It should also be noted that Kim did not include myths and rumors in the fact-oriented Samguk Sagi, evident in his encounter with the baseless rumors surrounding Lady Saso (see Lady Saso's origins).

Such misconception had ultimately affected immigrants who hailed from Silla to Japan known as the Hata clan who were wrongfully labeled as descendants of the Qin Dynasty simply for being associated with Silla.^[8]

Book of Wei - Volume 30's some part are record left by Wei envoy who visited Okjeo and Jinhan after the victory of the Goguryeo–Wei War and the Battle of Giryeong at the late 3rd century.

Thus, Jinhan's 12 countries are records of quasi-independent countries that have weakened since the defeat of Silla during the Cheomhae Isageum era.

Before the 3rd century, it was presumed that there was no distinction between the Jinhan (辰韓) and Byeonhan (弁韓 or 弁辰).

It is said that the people of Jinhan and Byeonhan intermingled and immigrated quite frequently (雜居), ultimately making it difficult to differentiate the two states culturally.

Culture

Its relation to the earlier state of Jin is not clear, although the contemporary Chinese chronicle San Guo Zhi alleges that Jinhan was identical with Jin (while another record describes Jin as the predecessor of the Samhan as a whole). Jinhan and Byeonhan shared essentially the same culture, with varying religious customs, and apparently were not separated by a clear boundary.

Many of the archeological evidence found in the area lack distinguishable differences with the evidence found in the neighboring kingdoms, suggesting that the cultures were mostly similar across the southern part of the peninsula.

Little is known about the daily lives of the Jinhan people. The religion appears to have been shamanistic which played an important role in politics as well. Agriculture was heavily dominated by rice, but also included substantial rearing of livestock including horses, cattle, and chickens.

Similar to Byeonhan, infants born in Jinhan were made flat headed by pushing their skulls onto a flat rock. This practice is thought to have lasted up to the Gaya confederacy.

Language

The language of Jinhan is thought to be the predecessor of the language of Silla, which in turn was the supposed ancestor of the modern Korean language.^[9]

However, due to multiple evidence^{[citation needed]} stating that Silla, Baekje and Goguryeo spoke similar languages without a need of a translator, it can be deduced that the languages spoken in Jinhan bore close resemblance to languages spoken in countries such as Byeonhan and Mahan at the time.^{[citation needed]}

Statelets

According to the San Guo Zhi, Jinhan consisted of 12 statelets of 600 to 5000 families each divided from 6 statelets:

• Saro (사로국, 斯盧國), most powerful state in Jinhan, it is also called Seorabeol. In 503, Saro state renamed itself "Silla".
• Gijeo (기저국, 己柢國), present-day Andong.
• Bulsa (불사국, 不斯國), present-day Changnyeong.
• Geun-gi (근기국, 勤耆國), present-day Pohang or Cheongdo.
• Nanmirimidong (난미리미동국, 難彌理彌凍國), present-day Miryang. It is also called "Mirimidong".
• Yeomhae (염해국, 冉奚國), present-day Ulsan.
• Gunmi (군미국, 軍彌國), present-day Sacheon.
• Yeodam (여담국, 如湛國), present-day Gunwi.
• Horo (호로국, 戶路國), present-day Sangju.
• Juseon (주선국, 州鮮國), present-day Gyeongsan.
• Mayeon (마연국, 馬延國), present-day Miryang.
• U-yu (우유국, 優由國), present-day Cheongdo or Yeongdeok.

According to Samguk Sagi, the Silla Kingdom (around present-day Gyeongju), was founded by Bak Hyeokgeose in 57 BC, who united the six clans of Jinhan under his rule. The records are sparse and conflicting regarding the relationship of the names Jinhan, Saro, Seorabeol, and the later Silla kingdom.

Location

Most theories indicate that Jinhan was located in the area later occupied by the Silla kingdom: the Gyeongju Basin and adjacent Sea of Japan coast. It would have been neighbored by the Byeonhan confederacy on the southwest, and by the much larger Mahan confederacy on the west. On the north it would have been bounded by the Chinese commanderies and the small coastal state of Dongye. However, some scholars place Jinhan in the Han River valley, bounded by Mahan on the north and Byeonhan on the south.