특집 : 고려 전기 외교의례에서 국왕 ‘서면(西面)’의 의미

Abstract

The Goryeo king usually faced North when he received an imperial edict from the Chinese Emperor, but in case of receiving an edict from the Khitan Emperor, the Goryeo king faced West, as we can see so dictated in the 「Protocol for the Goryeo king receiving “Northern” emperor’s edict(迎北朝詔使儀)」. Previous studies speculated that such facing was arranged to avoid the appearance of the Goryeo king acting as a ‘vassal of the Khitan emperor,’ while some others argued that it was indeed an act of a vassal, considering the fact that Khitan emperors usually faced East in other ceremonies. The record describing this protocol is apparently incomplete. Several stages are not sufficiently described. So it is necessary to consult other similar protocols to fill in the blanks. The result, and examination of it, reveals that the Goryeo king would not have faced West, and have faced North instead, when he received the edict of the Khitan emperor, and then turned West, in order to ask for the wellbeing of the emperor. Needless to say it is important to recognize that the Goryeo king was not facing West during the stage of receiving an imperial edict. Meanwhile, the basis for speculating that the Goryeo king would have faced West while asking for the Khitan emperor’s wellbeing are the Dang protocols[唐禮]. Considering the fact that the Khitan government always treated Goryeo envoys very highly whenever both parties exchanged greetings, it seems like a reasonable speculation.