The article for a Koguryo envoy drifting ashore of the Kosi(越) and returning
in the biography of Emperor Kimmei(欽明紀, kinmeiki) and the biography of Emperor
Bidatsu(敏達紀) of Nihon Shoki(日本書紀) is an important material which shows
the fact that Koguryo participated in the diplomatic activities toward the Japanese
Wa. Even though this is an important material which delivers the situation that
two countries faced to each other for the first time, its details have not been
analyzed properly in the previous studies.
The Koguryo envoy was fooled by a powerful clan in Kosi(越) who
impersonated the king of Japanese Wa and he was able to deliver the Japanese
Wa after staying more than 2 years in the Japanese Wa. This fact shows that
Koguryo participated in the diplomatic activities toward the Japanese Wa with
little knowledge regarding the Japanese Wa, and the improvement of the
relationship with the Japanese Wa was not that easy. In this respect, the fact
that Koguryo envoy who went to the Japanese Wa in 570 stayed there for more
than 2 years has significance in the history of negotiations between two countries.
Now only he was able to expand the knowledge regarding the Japanese Wa, but
also he had a chance to examine the Japanese Wa’s strategies toward outside
countries. The dispatch of additional envoys in later time supports this
understanding.
On the other hand, the knowledge of the Japanese Wa’s envoy who
accompanied the Koguryo envoy helped the royal court of the Japanese Wa to
reevaluate Koguryo. The fact that Koguryo participated in the diplomatic activities
toward the Japanese Wa was sufficient enough to bring a misunderstanding that
Koguryo faced a significant threat. It was highly possible from the Japanese Wa’s
standpoint. If there was considerable gap between the Japanese Wa’s
understanding and actual reality in Koguryo, the knowledge of the Japanese Wa’s
envoy was able to correct the Japanese Wa’s understanding.
Through the envoy who stayed in the Japanese Wa for 2 years, Koguryo was
able to gain the knowledge regarding the Japanese Wa and establish the strategies
toward the Japanese Wa, and the knowledge of the Japanese Wa’s envoy who
visited Koguryo became the starting point for the Japanese Wa to reevaluate and
accept Koguryo as one party to negotiate. This is why we must consider that
the period between 570 and 572 is very important in the history of negotiations
between two countries.