朝鮮時代 宦官 硏究 = Chosen's Eunuch System and its Political and Social Effects

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The study for the eunuches and their political and social effects during the Chosun Dynasty(朝鮮王朝) has been rarely researched until now. One of the many reasons is that the Chosen Dynasty was based on the Confucian political and ethical system and its society. And so, Only one class would dominate in this system, which was called to YangBan(兩班), first class in the society. The eunuches and their power were never recognized in this class society. It is the prejudice that the status and role of them had been fixed and simple. Compared with the Chinese eunuch, Chosun's were considered to be less significant. But their important duties at Court had caused them to exist from the period of Three Kingdom Era(三國時代) to the Chosun Dynasty, and then they had been the most numerous at Court. The reason why they had existed from the period of Won(元)'s control Era through the end of the Chosun Dynasty was their status and role at Court. It was because the King of Chosun Dynasty had been considered as a Emperor's Star(皇帝星) and he had adapted himself to the Confucian ideas and orders. This differ from the Chinese eunuch. Eventually, to restrain the political role, they had carried out their task and duty. So, I will try to make a correct understanding of the eunuch.
First, the eunuch existed in the Orient and the Occident. In our written history document, they had existed since the period of Unified Silla(統一新羅). They had been a minority and taken over miscellaneous services(雜役) at the Court of Goryo Dynasty(高麗王朝). After King Injong(仁宗) and Euejong(毅宗) a special eunuch who assisted the King in his work very closely, called a Naeshi(內侍) appeared. Eunuch Jungham(정함) who won King Euejong(毅宗)' favor was appointed to the Naejeonseungban(內殿崇班). But it was after the period of Won(元)'s control era that the eunuch could raise a higher position. Bongukhwaja(本國火者), who was a Korean eunuch and went to the Won Empire(元帝國), raised a higher position and had a potential influence on the appointment or the summons of Goryo King. As in his task, he had carried out the Kings' miscellaneous business and taken charge of the Kings' private moneys. So, after five years of King Kongmin(恭愍王), Naesibu(內侍府), a post of undertaking the eunuch affairs, was established. After the establishment of Naesibu, the eunuch was appointed to a vassal or took over confidential affairs.
During King Taejong(太宗) of Chosun Dynasty, Naesibu was under command of Yijo Department(吏曹) and under control of the King's secretary office. And it had been kept in order well since the promulgation of Keonggukdaejeon(經國大典), and was changed into the Naesisa(內侍司) during the Garpogeongjang(甲午更張). But the number had been growly increased.
The way that one became a eunuch was acquired(in this case, he was called a Jagungja(子宮者) who was cut his genital) rather than native. During the Goryo period, there were so many Jagungja to rise to a higher position, but during the Chosun Dynasty it is hard to find the record about them because of the limited document. At the early years of the Chosun Dynasty, young eunuch had been constantly brought up to send to the Chinese Ming Empire(明王朝). Usually, the eunuch often adopted from one to five children and succeeded to their family. Especially, from the end years of the Goryo to the early years of the Chosun Dynasty, they adopted the son of the government official but at the late years of the Chosun, they seldom adopted the son of gentry. Until the early years of Chosun, keeping the eunuch was prohibited by law because of the short of them.
For the treatment for the eunuch, there were little difference between them and the general officials but there was some exception between to the servants. They could advance officially to the second degree of official rank but virtually did to the top. Their office-post system was different from the general official's. At the early years of Chosun, officials and local gentry were hostile to them and tried to classify themselves from the eunuch and emphasized that they were a king's private slave. This recognition was entrenched during King Joongjong or at the last years of Chosun and had been prevailed to gentry society.
For their origins, they had been treated as slavery at the years of the Goryo but some of them entered into the government service. At the period of the Won's control, a common man could become an eunuch. The rate of common man had exceeded in the slave's since the Chosun.
For their official duties, they supervised king's food, sent king's order, and cleaned the Court. Before the Goryo Dynasty, their major tasks were an errand or a cleaning. But they had delivered the royal command, managed the National Treasury and worked to government office since the period of the Won's control. And they disciplined the prince, selected Court ladies to devote to Chinese Emperor and attended to the Court's worship. But most of all, tasks of inside the Court were very important to them.
At the early years of the Chosun, the eunuch's system was hardly kept in order, so followed the Goryo's. So eunuch Kim Sahang(金師幸) won the King's favor, attended the meetings where the most significant agenda was discussed. During King Taejong(太宗) of Chosun, he wanted to prohibit the eunuch from getting a official post, tried to change the authorized official's dress, but it was not in force. During King Sejong(世宗), he limited the eunuch to delivering the King's order. During King Danjong(端宗), many eunuches sided with Suyang Daegun(首陽大君) and helped him to usurp a throne. During King Sungjong(成宗) he clearly divided the eunuch from the general officials.
The men who wanted to wield the power often needed the eunuch's. The men who made an effective use of them could seize the power. Eventually the eunuch had widened their power during the years of Yeunsangun(燕山君) or during the maternal relatives political power.
It was during Yeunsangun's time that all the political system had been changed as the struggle between royal and official power happened. First of all, this struggle was originated from the king's eunuch control system. When the king ordered the eunuches who could not be controled by him to death, the official circles checked this order to control the royal power. But, after his ten-year-reign, Yeunsangun's power had been strengthening and at that time he could control his subjects and high officials wholly.
It was eunuch Kim Ja-won who, at that time, not only had controlled and dominated all the eunuch society but also had been trusted firmly from the king. Therefore, he usually interfered the king's authority and royal adminstration process.
These problems, I think, had been solved since his reign of ten years when he could control his royal power firmly. Now, because he could control all the problem related with eunuches, he permitted their social and political power to be more active. Also these policies interrelated with the king's power building process against royal official powers at that time.
At this times, an eunuch who delivered the King's order was sometimes identified as the King. But though, the policy that local gentry had carried out during King Joongjong(中宗) made the status and power of the eunuch dwindled. Now we generally recognize that they were divided from the general officials and were banned from marriage.
The eunuch's system at Chosun Dynasty had been steadily kept in order since the late years of the Goryo. Their tasks had limited to preventing the political intervention and to working inside the Court. And then, the number had growly increased and the system also been stabilized.
As mentioned above, they were indispensible for the King and essential to succeeding to the Dynasty and the throne.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 目次 = ⅰ
• I. 序論 = 1
• 1. 硏究 現況 및 問題 提起 = 1
• 2. 硏究 方法 및 範圍 = 5
• II. 高麗時代 宦官制의 樣相 = 9
• 1. 東·西洋의 宦官 起源 = 9
• 2. 高麗前期 宦官制의 展開 = 11
• 1) 宦官制의 受容과 展開 = 11
• 2) 毅宗代 內侍職 進出 = 16
• 3. 高麗後期 宦官制의 擴大와 地位 變動 = 21
• 1) 元干涉期 官界의 進出 = 21
• 2) 恭愍王代 內侍府의 設置 = 33
• III. 國初 內侍府 變遷과 宦官의 任務 = 40
• 1. 內侍府의 官職 變化 = 40
• 2. 宦官의 選拔과 待遇 = 46
• 1) 選拔 = 46
• 2) 構成과 待遇 = 54
• 3. 宦官의 任務 = 59
• 1) 闕內 監膳 = 59
• 2) 傳命 = 69
• 3) 繕工業務 = 71
• 4) 內需司 管理 = 74
• 5) 그 외의 任務 = 77
• IV. 朝鮮前期 宦官制의 整備와 政策 變化 = 81
• 1. 太祖∼成宗代 宦官制의 整備 = 81
• 1) 麗末鮮初 抑制論議와 宦官 金師幸 = 81
• 2) 太宗·世宗代 抑制策의 施行 = 87
• 3) 文宗代 抑制策의 緩和와 王位簒奪 = 94
• 4) 成宗代 宦官制의 定着 = 101
• 2. 燕山君代 宦官의 蠢動 = 105
• 1) 政局運營과 宦官 活動 = 106
• 2) 宦官 優待策의 施行 = 115
• 3. 中宗代 宦官 抑制策의 施行 = 127
• 1) 士林의 宦官 認識 = 127
• 2) 傳命權의 制限 = 130
• 3) 王權 制限과 宦官 = 132
• 4. 明宗代 內需司의 掌握 = 135
• 1) 外戚政治와 宦官 活動 = 136
• 2) 內需司를 통한 寺社田의 擴大 = 143
• 3) 宦官 優待策의 回復 = 152
• V. 朝鮮後期 宦官制의 機能變化와 改革論 = 159
• 1. 宦官 抑制策의 强化 = 159
• 1) 宦官 身分의 名分論的 再認識 = 159
• 2) 內侍府의 位相 格下 = 163
• 3) 社會的 差別의 深化 = 166
• 2. 逆謀 및 告變 事件과 宦官 = 169
• 1) 光海君∼肅宗代 逆謀事件과 宦官 = 169
• 2) 景宗∼正祖代 逆謀事件과 宦官 = 176
• 3) 政治變動과 宦官과의 關係 = 184
• 3. 實學者의 宦官制 改革論 = 185
• 1) 柳馨遠의 宦官論 = 186
• 2) 李瀷의 宦官論 = 187
• 3) 丁若鏞의 宦官論 = 190
• 4) 宦官論의 性格 = 192
• VI. 結論 = 196
• 【參考文獻】 = 202
• 【ABSTRACT】 = 208