도쿠가와 바쿠후는 대외통교정책으로서 「鎖國政策」을 실시하는 한편　나가사키(長崎), 쓰시마(對馬), 사츠마(蕯摩), 마츠마에(松前) 등 4개의 대외창구를 설정한 후 해외정보를 수집하였고, 다른 지역으로 정보가 유출되지 않도록 해외정보를 관리ㆍ통제하고자 하였다. 이 가운데 쓰시마는　조선관련 정보 및 중국대륙 관련 정보 수집에 있어서 주요한 대외창구였다. 쓰시마는 조선과의 外交ㆍ貿易 업무가 이루어지는 倭館을 중심으로 조선 및 중국관련 情報를 수집하였다. 언어도 문자도 다른 조선과의 의사소통과 정보수집의 최전선에 있었던 것은 조선어를 이해하고 구사할 수 있는 朝鮮語通詞였다. 이들은 조선과의 무역 등에 종사해 온 쓰시마의 특권상인인 六十人商 출신으로 藩의 필요에 따라 동원되었으며, 왜관내에서의 업무처리를 위해 1693년 이후에는 왜관에서 상주하면서 근무하였다. 조선어통사의 기본업무는 통역이었지만 이들은 이 외에도 조ㆍ일간의 외교ㆍ무역교섭석상에서 양자 간의 의견을 절충하는 역할을 하였다. 또한 이두가 섞인 한문 및 한글로 작성된 문서를 번역하고 작성하는 업무도 담당하였다. 그러나 무엇보다도 이들은 쓰시마에서 바쿠후의 요구에 따라 또는 자체적인 필요에서 지시하는 정보를 수집하고 제공하는 중요한 역할을 담당하였다. 통사의 정보원은 업무수행 과정에서 가장 빈번하게 접촉하는 조선의 譯官들이었다. 이들은 통사가 제반사항에 대해 질문했을 때 자신의 선에서 정보수집이 불가능할 경우 한성에 있는 자신들의 인맥까지도 동원하여 정보를 제공하는 성의를 보이기도 했다. 조선조정에서 東萊府를 통해 공식적으로 왜관 측에 제공하는 정보가 중국관련 내지는 조선에게 불리한 사안일 경우 축소되고 전해지지 않을 가능성이 있는 반면 조선어통사가 수집한 정보는 보다 정확하고 걸러지지 않은 있는 그대로의 정보일 수 있다는 점에서 의미가 있다. 바쿠후가 필요로 했던 정보는 일련의 정책들을 수립하고 시행하는 데 필요한 내용들이었으며, 쓰시마에서 필요로 했던 정보는 조ㆍ일 양국간의 외교ㆍ무역 관계의 중간 매개자로서의 역할 수행을 위해 그리고 바쿠후로부터 조선관련 질문을 받았을 때 답변하기 위해 필요한 것들이었다.

During the early 17th century Japan’s foreign relations contracted dramatically due to the so-called seclusion policy of the Tokugawa bakufu. The country, however, was far from closed. The bakufu maintained four windows to the outside world which included Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma and Matsumae, through which foreign trade and diplomacy were conducted. These places also played an important role in collecting and distributing information related to Japan’s national security. Tsushima played a key role in collecting Korea-related and China-related information. The Japanese Outpost in Korea called Waegwan(倭館) established and managed by Tsushima played a key role in Japan’s foreign relations with Korea. Korean officials and merchants visited the Waegwan, and they were to be mediated by Tsushima’s Korean interpreters in their dealings with the Japanese counterparts. Korean interpreters had their origin in Sixty Merchants(六十人商), who were the privileged merchants of the Tsushima domain and engaged in the Korea trade and had some communication ability in Korean. They were mobilized when needed and began to reside at Waegwan since 1693. The basic duty of Korean interpreters was interpretation, and they also translated the documents written in Chinese or Korean to be sent to Tsushima and Edo. Since they had to be present in all the dealings and negotiations between Korea and Japan, they were able to play a mediating role in those dealings and negotiations. The most important duty assigned to them by the Tsushima domain, however, was to collect information on Koran or China. The domain needed the information for its own purposes, and sometimes the bakufu ordered Tsushima to gather specific information on Korea or China. It was Korean interpreters who actually engaged in the information gathering work in the field. In Korean interpreters’s information gathering work the main source of information was Korea’s Japanese interpreters, who were counterparts of Korean interpreters in their daily business. They even showed their good will by providing the requested information by taking advantage of their personal networks in the capital Hanseong(漢城). Some information delivered by them were more valuable than those delivered through the official line because the former tended to be unfiltered and undoctored. Korean officials were very careful in delivering information related to China, and they were also reluctant to deliver information unfavorable for Korea. These information were likely to be altered or curtailed by Korean officials when they were delivered to the Japanese at Waegwan. The bakufu wanted to have information related to Japan’s national security delivered, but the Tsushima domain needed a wide range of information on Korea in addition to the ones requested by the bakufu.

During the early 17th century Japan’s foreign relations contracted dramatically due to the so-called seclusion policy of the Tokugawa bakufu. The country, however, was far from closed. The bakufu maintained four windows to the outside world which included Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma and Matsumae, through which foreign trade and diplomacy were conducted. These places also played an important role in collecting and distributing information related to Japan’s national security. Tsushima played a key role in collecting Korea-related and China-related information. The Japanese Outpost in Korea called Waegwan(倭館) established and managed by Tsushima played a key role in Japan’s foreign relations with Korea. Korean officials and merchants visited the Waegwan, and they were to be mediated by Tsushima’s Korean interpreters in their dealings with the Japanese counterparts. Korean interpreters had their origin in Sixty Merchants(六十人商), who were the privileged merchants of the Tsushima domain and engaged in the Korea trade and had some communication ability in Korean. They were mobilized when needed and began to reside at Waegwan since 1693. The basic duty of Korean interpreters was interpretation, and they also translated the documents written in Chinese or Korean to be sent to Tsushima and Edo. Since they had to be present in all the dealings and negotiations between Korea and Japan, they were able to play a mediating role in those dealings and negotiations. The most important duty assigned to them by the Tsushima domain, however, was to collect information on Koran or China. The domain needed the information for its own purposes, and sometimes the bakufu ordered Tsushima to gather specific information on Korea or China. It was Korean interpreters who actually engaged in the information gathering work in the field. In Korean interpreters’s information gathering work the main source of information was Korea’s Japanese interpreters, who were counterparts of Korean interpreters in their daily business. They even showed their good will by providing the requested information by taking advantage of their personal networks in the capital Hanseong(漢城). Some information delivered by them were more valuable than those delivered through the official line because the former tended to be unfiltered and undoctored. Korean officials were very careful in delivering information related to China, and they were also reluctant to deliver information unfavorable for Korea. These information were likely to be altered or curtailed by Korean officials when they were delivered to the Japanese at Waegwan. The bakufu wanted to have information related to Japan’s national security delivered, but the Tsushima domain needed a wide range of information on Korea in addition to the ones requested by the bakufu.

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Waegwan(倭館), Information, Korean Interpreters, Bunruikizitaiko(分類紀事大綱), Tsuyakushusaku(通譯酬酢), Korea’s Japanese interpreters