Korea's Influence on Japan

After Shilla's forces overwhelmed the Paekche kingdom (18 B.C.E. - 660 C.E.) during the ninth century, Paekche's royalty and nobility fled to western Japan.

There, according to Japan's oldest historical record, the Korean Paekche nobility merged with Japan's newly emerging nobility to form the Japanese imperial family and aristocracy. (The Complete Idiot's Guide To Understanding North Korea by Dr. C. Kenneth Quinones and Joseph Tragert Alpha Books, 2003).

Paekche's craftsmen also brought knowledge of paper making, printing with carved wooden blocks, and the making of lacquer ware and ceramics to Japan, while Korean monks reportedly gathered in central Japan in Nara (pictured, temple in Nara), Japan's oldest capital.

Paekche's symbols of royal authority were later adopted by Japan's imperial family, including the sword and curved jade jewel.

Ancient Koreans also introduced their Japanese counterparts to the Buddhist scriptures and Chinese writing system.