Historical Geography of Manchuria’s Study of Han Chinese Commanderies and the Formation of the History of Manchuria and Joseon

1908년 1월 시라토리 구라키치(白鳥庫吉)에 의해 설립된 ‘만선역사지리조사실(滿鮮歷史地理調査室)’에서는 1913년 『만주역사지리』를 편찬하였다. 본고에서는 『만주역사지리』에 보이는 한사군 서술을 분석하면서 그 속에서 만선사 내지 만선사적 시각이 실제 어떻게 적용되고 있는지를 살펴보았다. 만선사적인 인식은 일본사를 중심으로 조선과 만주의 역사를 타자로 규정하고 재구성하려는 과정에서 제시된 것이었다. 만주역사지리에서는 만주사의 공간 내에서도 중국의 영향력 하에서 다시 동심원적으로구분하여 이해하려는 경향이 간취되었는데, 만주의 역사를 중국의 영향력이 더 깊숙하게 침투한 한반도 북부의 고조선과 그를 통해 간접적으로영향력이 행사된 고조선 동북 지역의 예맥으로 구분해 보려 하였던 것이다. 또한 고구려가 건국하는 압록강 유역에는 창해군-진번군-현도군이 차례대로 위치했던 것으로 파악하였다. 근대 일본의 대륙정책이라는 국가적 요구에 대응하는 의도에서 출발한 만선사는 순연한 학술적 견지를 내세웠지만, 현재 형세의 유래를 따져보기 위한 실제적 필요에서 자유로울 수 없었다.

Established in January 1908 by Kurakichi Shiratori, the Research Department for Historical Geography of Manchuria and Joseon published an academic journal Historical Geography of Manchuria in 1913. This paper has analyzed the depiction of Han Chinese Commanderies (Hansagun) in Historical Geography of Manchuria and has examined how the histories of Manchuria and Joseon during the formative years and the colonial view of the history of two nations had been applied to actual situations. The colonialview of the histories of Manchuria and Joseon had otherized the histories of Manchuria and Joseon and attempted to reorganize them from the perspective of the history of Japan as the axis. It was noticed that Historical Geography of Manchuria attempted to portray the space of Manchuria as a form of concentric circles under the influence of China. Besides, it interpreted the history of Manchuria by dividing it into two states: “Gojoseon” in the northern area of the Korean peninsula that had been deeply influenced by China and “Yemaek” in the northwestern area of Gojoseon where such influence was indirectly exercised. According to the journal, Changhae-gun Commandery, Jinbeon-gun Commandery, and Hyeondo-gun commandery were located in regular sequence in the basin of the Yalu River where Goguryeo was founded. As the Japanese view of the histories of Manchuria and Joseonoriginally was formulated in order to cope with the continental policies ofmodern Japan, Japan attempted to accomplish its practical needs of figuringout the origins of the current territories but did under the name of pursuing“pure academic perspectives.”