Aspects of Korea-Japan Cultural Exchanges Analyzed Through Tongshinsa Delegations during the National Seclusion Period

Abstract

During the 17th-19th century, both the Joseon and the Edo Shogunate reinforced a National Seclusion Policy. Because direct contact with other nations was rare for these two countries, Joseon’s dispatching of the diplomatic Tongshinsa delegation to Edo was an important event. The highest ranking officials of the Tongshinsa delegation exchanged national and royal correspondences, celebrated an ascendancy of a new Shogun, and participated in cultural exchange with their Japanese counterparts. Because the highest ranking officials, the Samsa, were both diplomats and highly knowledgeable scholars, they directly participated in such cultural exchanges. Consequently, they can be said to have led the cultural exchanges in various fields. Korean-Japanese diplomacy in the 17th-19th century greatly reflects the politics, culture, and literature of the two respective countries at that time. This manuscript is dedicated to identifying the various aspects, of the pre-modern era, which are much different from the diplomatic exchanges of today.