Michuhol

Michuhol (彌鄒忽) was a city-state founded by Biryu in what is now Incheon, and an old place name for the Incheon area. It is often called Michuguk, Biryuguk, or Biryu Baekje (沸流百濟). After Biryu's death, Michuhol was absorbed into Baekje, but the name continued to be used as a place name.

Unlike present-day Incheon Metropolitan City, which includes the Bupyeong area, the former Incheon area administered the southern part of today's Incheon Metropolitan City and part of Siheung. The Incheon area corresponds to present-day Jung-gu, Dong-gu, Michuhol-gu, Namdong-gu, and Yeonsu-gu of Incheon Metropolitan City, Sipjeong-dong of Bupyeong-gu, northern Siheung in Gyeonggi Province (former Soraeup), and Okgil-dong and Gyesu-dong in Bucheon, and Okgil-dong in Gwangmyeong.

Origin

According to the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam, Biryu and his younger brother Onjo, who had left Goguryeo, were traveling south when Biryu stopped and founded a state at Michuhol.¹ Later, it was absorbed and integrated into the state of Baekje founded by Onjo. The Samguk Sagi (三國史記) records it as "Maesohol" (買召忽),² which, using the same characters as Michuhol, can be read as "Misutgol." The name "Incheon" began to be used only in the late Goryeo to early Joseon period.

History

• Biryu and Onjo, who had left Goguryeo, founded states at Michuhol and Wiryeseong respectively, but later the state founded by Biryu (Michuhol State) was absorbed and integrated into Baekje, the state founded by Onjo.
• In 475, during the reign of King Jangsu, Hanseong Baekje fell and was temporarily occupied by Goguryeo.
• In 551, during the reign of King Seong of Baekje, it was recovered by Baekje and later incorporated into Silla territory.
• In 757, the 16th year of King Gyeongdeok during the Unified Silla period, with the reorganization of the local governance system, it was renamed Soseong County (邵城縣) and became a subordinate county (領縣) of Yuljin County (栗津郡).
• In 1018, the 9th year of King Hyeonjong of Goryeo, it became a subordinate county of Suju (樹州) (present-day Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province and Bupyeong District of Incheon Metropolitan City).
• In 1105, the 10th year of King Sukjong of Goryeo, it was separated from Suju and elevated to Gyeongwon Prefecture (慶源府), as it was the home village (內鄕) of Queen Inye, the mother of King Sukjong Wang Ong (王顒).
• During the reign of King Injong of Goryeo, it became Inju (仁州), as it was the home village of Queen Sunduk, the mother of King Injong Wang Hae (王楷). The origin of Incheon can be traced to this.
• In 1390, the 2nd year of Gongyang of Goryeo, it was returned to Gyeongwon Prefecture.
• In the Joseon dynasty, it was demoted to Injugun (仁州郡).
• In 1413, the 13th year of , among the administrative units below , local areas that had previously held the status of (州) were ordered to be renamed as san (山) or cheon (川). It was renamed (仁川郡), establishing the name "Incheon" that is used today.

Afterward, Incheon became a center of foreign trade, with consulates of various countries established there, and it developed into an international city.

• In 1895, with the reorganization of administrative divisions into the 23-bu system (二十三府), it became the seat of Incheon Prefecture. The areas under the original Incheon Dohobu became Incheon County.
• The following year, in 1896, with a return to the 13-do system, it belonged to Gyeonggi Province and became Incheon Prefecture, Gyeonggi Province.
• In 1914, during the Japanese colonial period, when the Korean Peninsula was forcibly occupied by Japan, administrative consolidation by the Japanese reduced Incheon Prefecture greatly to an urban area centered on the Port of Incheon, and the remaining outskirts were incorporated into Bucheon County.

Footnotes

Footnotes

1. 《신증동국여지승람》 9. ↩

2. 邵城縣, 本高句麗 買召忽縣, 景德王改名, 今仁州[一云<慶原買召>, 一作<彌鄒>35卷-志4-地理2-10《Samguk Sagi》 ↩