Abstract
Sayaka, or Kim Ch'ungsn (1571-1642) was a Japanese military commander who surrendered to Chosn in the early days of the Imjin War.In this chapter, I look at his life based on his collections, Mohadang munjip and Mohadang silgi , and examine the formation process of those posthumous writings.He died in the middle of the seventeenth century, but his collection of works was only properly compiled in the middle of the eighteenth century.There are two things to think about when looking at his posthumous works, the first that he, a young samurai, left excellent writings in classical Chinese, just like Chosn's nobility.Given the general level of education in Japan at the time, it is highly questionable whether he could have received such a high level of education before coming to Korea.The second is the idea of Sino-centrism in his writings which are full of admiration for China; this is not the thought of the Japanese samurai of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but the thought of the Sino-centrist in Chosn.Thus, the study of the life and posthumous works of Kim Ch'ungsn has more implications for studying Sino-centrism in Chosn than the thought of a Japanese soldier who participated in the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. PrologueKim Ch'ungsn (1571-1642), born Sayaka , was a Japanese general who surrendered to Chosn Korea during the early period of the Imjin War, that is, the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592.During this invasion of Korea launched by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, many Japanese soldiers surrendered to Korea, thus coming to be referred to as hangwae, which literally translates as surrendered Japanese.Of these, Kim Ch'ungsn is a particularly well-known figure, who in his lifetime rendered distinguished service in battles against Japan and the Manchus, settled down in Korea, and left offspring, who later organized and compiled his posthumous anthologies.A number of papers about him have been published in Korea, and the Japanese have also shown great interest.Episodes of his life have been introduced in Korean television series or documentaries several times, and many works of fiction mostly depicting his life in Japan have been published in Japan.However, aca-