Silla新羅

Silla — its forebears were in origin a branch of the Jinhan (辰韓). Its land lies southeast of Goryeo, and it dwells in what was the Nangnang land in the time of Han. Jinhan is also called Jinhan (秦韓). It is handed down that men who fled in the time of Qin (秦) came there to escape forced labour, and that Mahan cut off its eastern border and let them live there; and because they were men of Qin it was named Jinhan (秦韓). Their speech and the names of things are like those of the people of China. They call a state (國) a bang (邦), a bow (弓) a ho (弧), a robber (賊) a gu (寇), and the passing of wine (行酒) haengsang (行觴), and they call one another all do (徒). In this they are not the same as Mahan. Again, the king of Jinhan was always made from among the men of Mahan, and so it was handed on from age to age; and that Jinhan could not set up a king of its own makes it clear that they were people who had drifted in. They were always held under the rule of Mahan. At the beginning Jinhan had six states, which were divided little by little into twelve, and Silla is one of them. Some say that when Guanqiu Jian, the general of Wei, attacked Goryeo and broke it, they fled to Okjeo, and that afterwards they went back to their old country, and those who stayed behind became Silla at last; and it is also called Saro (斯盧). Its people are a mixture of the Hua and Xia, of Goryeo, and of Baekje, and it holds together the lands of Okjeo, Bullae, Han, and Ye. Its king was in origin a man of Baekje, who fled by sea into Silla and came to reign over that country. At first it was a dependency of Baekje; but when Baekje went against Goryeo, those who could not bear the service of war led one another over to it afterwards, and so it grew strong. Thereupon it fell upon Baekje, and made the state of Gara (迦羅國) its dependency. Thirty generations were handed down, to Jinpyeong. In the fourteenth year of Kaihuang of the Sui it sent an envoy to offer the products of its land, and Emperor Wen appointed Jinpyeong to the upper opened office, Duke of the Nangnang Commandery, and King of Silla.

Its offices have seventeen grades. The first is called ibeolgan, as noble as the minister of state; next icheokgan, next yeonggan, next pamigan, next daeacheokgan, next acheokgan, next eulgilgan, next sadolgan, next geupbokgan, next daenamagan, next nama, next daesa, next sosa, next gilsa, next daeo, next soo, next jowi. Outside the capital there are gun and hyeon. Their writing and their arms and armour are the same as China's. Men chosen for their strength all go into the army, and the beacons, the garrisons, and the patrols all have their camps and their companies. Their customs, their punishments and government, and their clothing are much the same as those of Goryeo and Baekje. On the first day of every month they give one another greeting, and the king sets out a feast and gives out rewards to the many officers; and on that day they bow to the tablets of the spirits of the sun and the moon. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month they set out music, have the officials shoot, and give horses and cloth as prizes. When there is a great matter they gather the officials, weigh it fully, and settle it. In the colour of their clothing they honour white. The women braid their hair and wind it about the neck, and ornament it with silks of many colours and with beads. The rites of marriage are nothing but wine and food, and whether they are full or plain goes with poverty or wealth. On the evening the bride comes, the woman bows first to her husband's father and mother, and next she bows to his elder brother and to her husband. The dead are laid in a coffin and shrouded, and they raise a mound over the burial. For the mourning of the king and of father, mother, wife, or child, they keep the garb for one year. The fields are very good and rich, and they sow both dry and wet crops. Their five grains, their fruits and vegetables, their birds and beasts, and the products of the land are much the same as those of the Hua.

From Daye on it sent tribute to court every year. The land of Silla has many steep mountains, and though a rift was knotted with Baekje, Baekje too could do nothing against it.