Kija Chosŏn
Kija Chosŏn was a dynasty of Gojoseon allegedly founded by the sage Jizi, a member of the Shang dynasty royal house.
Understanding before 20th century
Chinese records
Chinese records before the Qin dynasty describe Kija as the paternal uncle of the last king of the Shang dynasty, the tyrannical King Zhou, but contain no mention of king Zhou's relationship with Gojoseon. Kija was imprisoned by the tyrant until the downfall of Shang Kingdom, when King Wu of Zhou released him.Records written after the Qin dynasty, when the Han dynasty and Gojoseon were at war, add that Kija led 5,000 to the east of present-day Beijing, as written in the "Geography" section of the Book of Han, and became the founding king of Kija Chosŏn. In Sima Qian's Shi Ji, Kija is mentioned in the following sentence:
Korean historiography
No contemporary Korean sources existed for Kija Chosŏn, and the oldest sources produced in Korea were from the Goryeo dynasty. The earliest Korean record about Kija Chosŏn can be seen from Samguk Yusa,It was widely believed that Kija Chosŏn was located on the Korean Peninsula, replacing Gojoseon of Dangun. But some Korean scholars believed that Kija settled west of Gojoseon, based on records from "Geography" section of the Book of Han, and the Korean Samguk Yusa that suggests that Gojoseon continued to coexist with Kija Chosŏn after the migration of Kija. These scholars believed that Kija's influence was limited to western part of Gojoseon.
The Genealogy of the Cheongju Han Clan lists the names of 73 rulers of Kija Chosŏn and their periods of reign; however, it is not widely accepted by current Korean mainstream historians.
Wiman Joseon is said to begin with the usurpation of the throne from Jun of Gojoseon and the line of kings descended from Kija.
Sin Chaeho's opinion
said that Kija Chosŏn refers to the putative period of Beonjoseon, one of the Three Confederate States of Gojoseon, after the Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan was invaded by Yan as shown in the records of Weilüe. Chinese traditional accounts indicate that Gihu's ancestor, Kija, was the same person as Jizi.According to Sin Chaeho's Joseon Sangosa, Beonjoseon began disintegrating after its king had been killed by a rebel from the Chinese state of Yan at around 323 BC. With this, the five ministers of Beonjoseon began contending for the throne. Marquess of Chosŏn from the Gi clan joined in this struggle, and emerged victorious as the new king of Beonjoseon, defeating the competitors for the throne. He established Kija Chosŏn, named after his ancestor Kija. During Kija Chosŏn, the king enjoyed strong sovereign powers. Eventually, in 94 BC, Kija Chosŏn fell after King Jun was overthrown by Wiman, who established Wiman Joseon in its place.
Controversy on whether Kija and Jizi were the same person
The Korean historian Kim Jung-bae claims that the association between Jizi and Joseon is wrong. He believed that the existence of Kija Chosŏn as a state established by Jizi was fabricated during Han dynasty. He further claims that the Bamboo Annals, and Confucius's Analects, which was the earliest extant text that referred to Jizi, did not say anything about his going to Gojoseon. Similarly, the Records of the Grand Historian, written soon after the conquest of Wiman Joseon by the Han dynasty, made no reference to Joseon in its discussions about Jizi and no reference to Jizi in its discussions about Joseon.According to some sources, ancient Koreans claimed that Kija came from the Zhou dynasty but there is no archaeological evidence to support early involvement of the Chinese.