Ban Bu

Ban Bu (潘阜, 1230 – ?) was a civil official of Goryeo. His family seat was Geoje (巨濟). His courtesy name was Gunsu (君秀), his art name was Haeryeojae (海旅齋), and his posthumous name was Munjeol (文節).

Life

On the 23rd day of the 9th month of the 8th year of King Wonjong's reign (1267), serving as Gigeo Sainin (起居舍人), he set out for Japan carrying a letter from the Mongol Empire requesting trade and friendly relations, along with a letter from Goryeo.¹ However, the Kamakura shogunate of Japan at that time did not permit his entry, so Ban Bu was forced to stay for five months at the Dazaifu (大宰府). He was treated very poorly at the guest lodgings, and the Japanese did not reply to the letters, either the personal letter or the official dispatch. Although he offered Goryeo's gifts and tried to persuade them in many ways, they never listened and forcibly sent him back. Ban Bu returned to Goryeo on the 18th day of the 7th month of the 8th year of King Wonjong's reign (1268).²

The Mongols suspected that Japan's refusal to establish relations was deliberate, and urged Goryeo to again pursue envoy communications with Japan. On the 7th day of the 1st month of the 10th year of King Wonjong's reign (1269), he accompanied the Mongol envoys Kachi (黑的) and Eun-hong (殷弘) to Japan together with Goryeo's Jimunhasasa (知門下省事) Sin Sa-jeon (申思佺) and Vice Minister Jin Ja-hu (陳子厚). This time, however, they were refused entry at Tsushima Island, and they captured two residents of Tsushima Island, returned the following year, and sent them to the Mongols.

On the 20th day of the 7th month of the 11th year of King Wonjong's reign (1270), while serving as Secretariat Vice Director (秘書丞) of the Goryeo court, by the order of King Tüerenge (頭輦哥), together with Supreme General (上將軍) Seo Gyun-han (徐均漢), Censor (御史) Kim Gwang-chwi (金光就), and others, he opened the granaries of Ganghwa (江華) and distributed goods to the various officials and common people.³

In the 1st month of the 15th year of King Wonjong's reign (1274), the Mongols pressed Goryeo to build 300 warships in preparation for the invasion of Japan. Ban Bu, as Gukja Sau (國子司業), was appointed Buobusa (部夫使) of Seohae Circuit (西海道), and was assigned the duty of conscripting craftsmen (工匠) and laborers (役徒), numbering more than 30,500, to build the warships as demanded by the Mongols.⁴ Ban Bu himself took part in the first invasion of Japan, which set out on the 2nd day of the 11th month, as the Goryeo-side Right Army Deputy Commander (右軍 兵馬副使) of the Goryeo-Mongol allied forces, serving under Na Yu (羅裕) and Park Bo (朴保).⁵ However, the allied forces, which had pushed as far as Kyushu, were forced to retreat, as most of their fleet sank in a typhoon that happened to strike at that time.

On the 7th day of the 10th month of the 7th year of King Chungnyeol (忠烈王) (1281), serving as Left Remonstrator (左司議), Ban Bu was tasked with consoling the Yuan commanders Heun-don (忻都), Hong Dagu (洪茶丘), and Beom Mun-ho (范文虎), who had returned after failing in the second invasion of Japan.⁶ Afterwards, in the 8th year of the same king's reign (1282), he served as Right Remonstrator Grand Master (右司議大夫),⁷ and in the 10th year (1284) as Grand Master of Remonstrance (諫議大夫).⁸

Footnotes

Footnotes

1. 《고려사》 세가 권제26 원종 8년 8월 ↩

2. 《고려사》 세가 권제26 원종(元宗) 9년 7월 ↩

3. 《고려사》 세가 권제26 원종 11년 7월 ↩

4. 《고려사》 세가 권제27 원종 15년 1월 ↩

5. 《고려사》 세가 권제28 충렬왕 즉위년 10월 ↩

6. 《고려사》 권29 세가 권제29 충렬왕 7년 윤8월 ↩

7. 《고려사》 권74 지 권제28 선거2(選擧 二) 국자시의 정원 ↩

8. 《고려사》 권74 지 권제28 선거2 과목 2 승보시 ↩