「속일본후기」 所收 신라국 집사성첩에 보이는 ‘島嶼之人’

Who are the ‘People of Islands’?

This paper analyzes the diplomatic document of Jipsa-seong(the Chancellery Office of Silla) brought to Dajō-kan(the Great Council of State in Japan) in 836 AD and argue that the requirement of Jipsa-seong for Dajō-kan is to tighten the control over the ‘people of islands.’ The document of Jipsa-seong called Dajō-kan’s attention to the ‘people of islands’ problem through the diplomatic dispute with Ki-no-mitsu. The problem of ‘people of islands’ was a serious matter at the coastal area of Silla at the time and perhaps Silla might have just wanted to solve the problem. The most important message of the document was dispatch of a fit envoy, not suspicious person like Ki-no-mitsu. Because smuggling of the people were frequent at that time, who forged official seals and documents by pretending to be diplomats. I conclude that the ‘people of islands’ who appeared in the document was not Jang-bogo groups of Silla but people that were based on western islands of Japan and moved freely(and secretly) on the sea like Baeksurang(=Ama, means the sea men).