earticle

영어

This study aims to deal with the view of marine civilization by analyzing travelogue of parties of Joseon’s Envoys Sent to Japan and courtier's observation mission dispatched several times from Joseon to Japan immediately after the opening of port. Although they were not an overseas mission who made a visit to the society of the U.S. or Britain, they are considered a mission of Joseon who indirectly realized the Western civilization first in the way that they crossed the sea and experienced an island country, Japan. In the travelogue of Joseon mission, various records such as internal structure of steamship and method of navigation, memory of ocean voyage, experience of wind and waves or seeing a lighthouse, impression of port and harbor, observation of navy and shipbuilding industry, liberation of Northeast Asia and public law of all nations can be found. Through the aforementioned, this study searched a fact that Meiji Japan converted from the‘the savages of island country’to a‘maritime nation’. As a result of examining materials related to Joseon’s Envoys Sent to Japan and courtier's observation mission, this study found that the sea route from the port of Busan (or port of Jemulpo) of Joseon to Yokohama, Japan was a short sailing distance, but was constantly differed from the sea route of the envoy to Japan in pre-modern times, showing changes in conception of time and awareness of space. Travel in the record of Joseon’s Envoys Sent to Japan was mainly memorized as time, not as distance, or the first appearance of the term ‘Pacific’ using seaway from Kobe to Yokohama instead of land route is considered an example. Reading the details and context of travelogue, however, it is assumed that amazing experience of voyage was not connected to the revolution of outlook on the world. Joseon mission was able to read the image of island country Japan through the visit to various relevant facilities in Japan. Especially, the process of handling the wrecked people or the first use of national flag is interesting to show conversion of tributary system to the system of public law of all nations.