Wonhwa

This article is about the class of cadets. For the chemical company, see Wonhwa Chemical.
Wonhwa
Hangul 원화
Hanja 源花 also 原花
Revised Romanization Wonhwa
McCune–Reischauer Wŏnhwa

The wonhwa (Original Flowers) were a class of cadets in 6th-century Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It is not clear to what extent they ever engaged in battle. Created in the reign of King Jinheung, the first group of wonhwa consisted of about 300 young people chosen for their beauty and skill. Their leaders were two women. However, after one of them committed murder, the wonhwa class was abolished, and replaced by the all-male hwarang.

Subsequently, the Wonhwa title was granted to female spiritual leaders of the Hwarang. "The term Won Hwa is often incorrectly used to represent a single individual; in fact, Won Hwa was a group of highly revered Buddhist nuns who spiritually guided these Buddhist monastic warriors."[1]

Some have suggested that wonhwa might be the origin of the later kisaeng class, but little evidence exists to support this theory.

References

  1. ↑ THE WON HWA & the HWA RANG WARRIORS, from The Warrior is Silent by Scott Shaw

See also

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