User:Asieon

Asieon

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Introduction

• 
  Language: The three well-known languages of East Asia
• 
  History: A reconstructed bust of a young Yayoi boy of the Yayoi period, Japan.
• 
  Genealogy: Genomic PCA graph depicting the genetic diversity of East Asians.

East Asian language, history and genealogy editor. Particularly interested in Japanese language, history and genealogy (with peaking interest in ancient China and Korea). Knows some Chinese (mostly characters only) and a little Korean (can only read Hangul and infer by using Japanese grammar). I like Asian history and science, not Anime, K-Pop and etc.

I'm also active at:

• Simple Wikipedia - Asieon
• Wikimedia Commons - Asieon
  

Fun facts about me

• 
  A Cheongsam (Qipao) dress worn by a female model
• 
  A Japanese woman wearing a Wafuku (Kimono)
• 
  Two Korean individuals wearing Regal Hanboks

1. Avid follower and fan of Alexander Vovin and Christopher I. Beckwith.
2. Favorite food: Korean barbecue and/or Yakiniku (I love marinated meat).
3. Favorite dog breed: Japanese Spitz (♂).
4. I hate to repeat myself.
5. I find Cheongsam (Qipao), Wafuku, and Regal Hanbok as peak traditional East Asian fashion.

Current projects

Why is it so hot...

• Working on improving articles regarding ancient Japanese clans with new and updated sources.
• Providing further insight in regards to Toraijins and immigrant clans.
• Closely following Peninsular Japonic and macro-Altaic languages.
• Finding possible links to Heo Hwang-ok and ancient Japanese influence in Gaya at the time.

Personal theories

A retrospective analysis as to the origins of the Japanese and the Koreans: An anthropological overview

Judging by the Genetic and anthropometric studies on Japanese people and recent studies done on the Genetics of Koreans, it is clear that the Japanese and Koreans have many overlapping ancestries. The strongest contenders are mostly the Jōmon people and the Yayoi people (the Kofun influx AKA Tripartite ancestry theory lost ground for me), due to the presence of M7a haplogroup found only in the Japanese and Koreans, but also the major contribution from the Yayoi group post-Jōmon period. So in essence, it may look as if the Japanese influenced Koreans first. However, after some digging around and reading articles surrounding these groups, other native-Korean groups started to emerge such as the Jeulmun people, and the Mumun people. According to Tresi Nonno, a scholar from Chiba, Japan, the similarities between early Jeulmun period pottery and early Jōmon period pottery have striking similarities. In fact, a Jōmon-style pottery called "Sobatashikidoki (曽畑式土器/そばたしきどき)" specifically states that:

"朝鮮半島の櫛目文土器とは表面の模様のみならず、粘土に滑石を混ぜるという点も共通している。"

"It shares commonality with the Jeulmun pottery of the Korean peninsula not only in the surface patterns, but also in the use of talc mixed into the clay."

This might suggest that the people of the Jeulmun period were in fact proto-Jōmon people who arrived in the Korean peninsula first before migrating to the Japanese archipelago. The presence of Jeulmun people can explain why Koreans have small traces of M7a DNA, a haplogroup related to the Jōmon population, because Jeulmun and Jōmon people were most likely related. This presence of Jōmon (Austronesian) populi may also explain the theory regarding Peninsular Japonic, a theory that is holding more water over time. Now, they were not the only people who had Korean counterparts. For the majority of time, Japanese researchers hypothesized that the Mumun people and the Yayoi people were related too, mostly due to the similar pottery styles they possessed. The fact that the Mumun people arrived after the Jeulmun people and before the Yayoi people arriving in Japan, it can also be deduced that the Mumun people were the precursor to the Yayoi people, who later moved to the Japanese archipelago where the Jōmon people lived. The other overlap of Mumun-Yayoi influx can also explain why the two demographics have so much common ancestry in general.

Now, if you read about the Koreans and their ancestors, another group is often mentioned, called the "Yemaek people". These people are considered the direct ancestors of the modern Koreans. According to multiple sources, the Yemaek tribe originated around Northeast China/Northern Korea region and are heavily related to the Buyeo-Goguryeo-Balhae kingdoms, and in turn, Baekje, Silla and Gaya as well. According to Vovin, Beckwith, and Diamond, these people were Koreanic speakers and are considered as the proto-Koreans who came in after the aforementioned groups settled in Korea. The Yemaek people allegedly formed kingdoms in Manchuria, then came down by conquering and uniting pre-existing kingdoms in the south such as the Mahan, Byeonhan and Jinhan confederacy. The aforementioned scholars theorize that these Koreanic speakers displaced the old Peninsular Japonic speakers (Jeulmun-Mumun people) and assimilated them, hence why the Jōmon-like DNA has become so little in modern day Koreans. Knowing that this happened well after the Jeulmun/Jōmon and Mumun/Yayoi periods, and before the Kofun period, one can deduce that the Korean peninsula was a mix of Jeulmun/Mumun/Yemaek ancestries, with the latter being the most dominant out of the three, being the most recent newcomer. The Kofun influx/Tripartite theory also mentions a new strand that was not found in Jōmon and Yayoi DNA's, further suggesting that the so-called "Kofun strand" was in fact these Yemaek people who came to Korea well after the Jōmon and Yayoi-equivalent tribes. The interesting thing is, researchers are stating that the Yayoi people and the so-called "Kofun people" were almost indifferent, which means that the Yayoi/Mumun people were not too different from the Kofun/Yemaek people genetically as their origins are somewhat similar (being in Northeast Asia). Regardless, I believe that the so-called "Kofun strand" were in fact Jeulmun/Mumun/Yemaek descendants of the Korean kingdoms at the time, who migrated to Japan as Toraijins, hence why so many Toraijin immigrants/clans are turning out to be of Korean origin. Realistically, these people would not have been that different from modern Japanese anyway, hence why the interview with the director of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Kenichi Shinoda ^[ja] (篠田 謙一) in December of 2024 states that "the genetic makeup of the ancient Yayoi people and us (Yamato people) are almost identical".

So, the conclusion is: Migration happened from Korea to Japan initially, though it is difficult to categorize them as inherently "Japanese" or "Korean", as the concept of nationality was not conceived during the time. The genetic affinity of modern Japanese and Koreans can be traced back to older tribes that arrived in the peninsula/archipelago stretching back to several millennia.

I hope more research is done in regards to the massive overlap in genealogical/historical evidence of both Japan and Korea, as it is an interesting rabbit hole to dive into, and I hope it peaked your interest as well.

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Tumultuous relationship between Silla and Wakoku: Allies or Enemies?

It is one of the most controversial, yet interesting topics of ancient Korea and Japan. The never-ending love-hate relationship of Silla and Wakoku (Japan) is intriguing to those who have studied the history behind the two states. To preface, Silla was a kingdom that was situated in the southeast of the Korean peninsula and Wakoku was a state that eventually became the Yamato Kingship. Silla eventually unified the peninsula and became the foundation to the kingdoms that came after, later becoming modern Korea as we know today. The Yamato Kingship also evolved into modern Japan as well, therefore, it is suffice to say that these two states were detrimental to their respective civilizations and are important pieces of history that should be dealt with respect and accuracy.

Due to their geographical and historical closeness, one might assume that these two kingdoms were amicable to one another. However, this cannot be farther from the truth. The fact is, Silla and Wakoku had a strained relationship throughout its history and wrote very negatively about one another extensively in their respective records. Though their animosity towards one another is not hidden, the two states' histories are heavily intertwined with one directly affecting the other, and vice versa. My goal is to identify the reasons behind their contentious relationship by using historical and archaeological evidence uncovered during its time.

The founding of Silla is an interesting one. The predecessor to the kingdom was a confederacy known as the "Jinhan confederacy". It had two other "Han" confederacies called "Mahan" and "Byeonhan", forming the "Samhan" of Korea. Jinhan became Silla, Mahan became Baekje and Byeonhan became Gaya, with having Goguryeo to the north. According to Korean records, Goguryeo's predecessor kingdom was Buyeo, a Yemaek kingdom (mentioned in my theory above) where a prince formed his own kingdom after leaving his family. Later, royals from Goguryeo immigrated to the area of Mahan and formed the kingdom of Baekje. Gaya remained independent for some time, but was later absorbed by its neighbor. So, it is clear that the kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Gaya had legitimacy over the regions they reigned. Silla, on the other hand, was founded by an individual called Hyeokgeose with the help of his trusted ministers and the indigenous Koreans in Jinhan confederacy. This is where Japan comes into the frame.

According to records such as the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, one of Hyeokgeose's trusted minsters was a man named Hogong, an individual who came from Japan. This is where we first get introduced to a Japanese individual in ancient Korean records. Hogong is mentioned multiple times throughout the books as someone Hyeokgeose reached out regularly when in need of help.

• Hogong is first mentioned as a minister who helped found the kingdom of Silla with Hyeokgeose, the first king of Silla and the founder of all the Park clans of Korea.
• Hogong is mentioned in the story of Kim Al-chi, the founder of the Gyeongju Kim clan, where Hogong is dispatched to find the source of a rooster's crowing, where he later finds a box containing a baby Kim Al-chi.

• Hogong is also referenced in the story of Talhae of Silla, the fourth king of Silla who is also the founder of Gyeongju Seok clan. Surprisingly, it is said that Talhae of Silla was a prince from Japan and was later accepted as a son-in-law by Namhae of Silla.

Suffice to say, there are a lot of Japanese elements in the founding of Silla with Hogong being mentioned three times alone in the stories of important figures of Sillan history who happen to be founders of major clans of Korea. In addition, Japanese records such as the Shinsen Shōjiroku says that Inahi no Mikoto, the brother of Emperor Jimmu the first emperor of Japan, was the ancestor to Sillan kings.

On the flip side, Japan mentions several instances where Silla influenced its history.

• The god Susanoo-no-Mikoto is said to have arrived in Silla after he was banished from the sky in a place called "Soshimori (曽尸茂梨)". He was used heavily for Nissen dōsoron to link Korea to Japan during the Meiji period.
• Amenohiboko, the ancestor of Empress Jingū was said to be a prince of Silla who went to Japan and became a god. His descendants also include the god of sweets, Tajimamori as he became the founder of the Tajima clan after he settled in Japan.
• Empress Jingū's invasion of Korea was carried out by Takenouchi no Sukune, whose son, Hata no Yashiro (羽田矢代) became a legendary figure to the Hata clan, an immigrant clan who have roots in Silla. Takenouchi no Sukune had personal envoys to Silla himself throughout his life even declaring war at the kingdom at one point.

Evidently, Silla influence on Japan was also quite impressive seeing how it affected the royal imperial bloodline as well as being used as a way of legitimizing the annexation of Korea by Japan in the early 20th century. Regardless of the sentiments found in today's Korea and Japan, it is clear that Silla and Japan had crucial moments in history where their influences heavily accounted for their mythology, royalty and even diplomacy. Now where did it go wrong?

The best explanation would be that Silla and Japan were on good terms prior to the records being written, with many people migrating back and forth by sea. It was only when Baekje came into the picture and became allies with Wakoku and Baekje being enemies with Silla, made Silla cut ties with Japan. This later exacerbated with the Japanese viewing Silla as a threat to its national security especially after Silla joined forces with Tang dynasty to defeat Goguryeo and Baekje once and for all and possible making Japan the next target. Hence why many clans of Sillan origin were later given fictional founders such as Yuzuki no Kimi (for the Hata clan) Baekje origin and negatively painted Silla in their stories by making them tyrannical and remorseless while making Baekje seem trustworthy and amicable. This sentiment carried over until the fall of unified Silla and the rise of Goryeo, which specifically claimed successorship of Goguryeo and not Silla.

In conclusion: Silla and Wakoku (Japan) had an intricately intertwined history and were on good terms. However, after Japan became allies with Silla's worse enemy and rival Baekje, their relationship started to wane and the animosity ultimately lasted until the rise of a kingdom that did not recognize Silla as its national identity. This may explain why despite their influence over another, they were not allies until the very end.

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Deciphering the names of ancient Korea in Old Japanese: A forgotten relic of East Asian language isolate

The study of Old Japanese has seen many frustrating phases that left me speechless due to the lack of evidence and analysis from the academic field. While researching about the Shinsen Shōjiroku, I discovered that the names of old Korean kingdoms were very peculiar compared to other civilizations such as ancient China at the time. Chinese dynasties such as "Han/Tang/Qin" do not have native Japanese words that allude to them. Instead, they are all called in On'yomi such as "Kan/Tō/Shin" and etc.

However, when it comes to Korea, it is very different. At first glance, the names such as "Kōkuri", "Koma", "Kudara", "Shiragi", "Mimana", "Kara", "Aya", "Hata", and so fourth may look Japanese, however, even Japanese linguists do not know the etymology of such placenames and their pronunciations. My goal is to decode and uncover the missing link that connects these ancient names with mysterious origins to languages of Old Japanese, Old Korean, and possibly Peninsular Japonic.

First things first, we must understand what these words mean.

• Kōkuri (こうくり) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the kingdom of Goguryeo. Written as 高句麗.
• Koma (こま) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the kingdom of Goguryeo. Written as 高麗.
• Kudara (くだら) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the kingdom of Baekje. Written as 百済.
• Shiragi (しらぎ) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the kingdom of Silla. Written as 新羅.
• Mimana (みまな) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the confederacy of Gaya. Written as 任那.
• Kara (から) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the mainland Asia (mostly Korea and China). Written as 韓/漢/唐.
• Aya (あや) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the mainland (mostly Korea and China) and Yamatonoaya clan. Written as 漢.
• Hata (はた) - Is the native Japanese pronunciation of the Hata clan. Written as 秦.

Kōkuri/Koma

The origin for the first pronunciation Kōkuri is rather simple, as it is the On'yomi of the word "高句麗". However, Koma on the other hand is more mysterious as the On'yomi for the word it represents is "Kōrai", not "Koma". Instead, it is believed to be a foreign word, specifically from the Korean word "bear" pronounced "Gom/Kom (곰)" today, but was pronounced "Goma/Koma (고마)" in ancient times. It is possible that the word was carried over by Baekje immigrants who also used the "Goma/Koma" variant seen in their once capital Ungjin, which was called "Gomanaru (고마나루)" literally meaning "bear port". And since Goguryeo and Baekje languages were most likely related (due to the ruling class of Baekje originating from Goguryeo), the "Koma" pronunciation might have been how Baekje people called "Goguryeo" as their "ancient capital", which was adopted by the Japanese.

However, on the flip side, the word "Koma" also sheds light to possible connections to the Japonic languages as well. "Kuma (くま)" in Japanese also means "bear", and it is frequently used to link the Koreanic languages to Japonic languages. However, I believe this is a remnant of Peninsular Japonic that was still present in Southern Korea that the natives were still using at the time. Therefore, even though "Kom/Koma" is part of the Koreanic family, it may trace shared roots in Japonic languages as well. For further context, bears in Korean mythology were highly regarded as seen in the creation myth of Korea where the mother of Dangun, the alleged founder of Korea, named Ungnyeo was originally a bear before she became human and gave birth to him. Seeing how Dangun's kingdom and the first ever Korean kingdom in history, Gojoseon worshipped tigers and bears as deities, its successor kingdom of Goguryeo also must have carried over such beliefs, which their own descendants from Baekje did too. This is similar to the placename "land of the sun" Asadal (阿斯達) of Gojoseon which was carried over to Baekje's "日本" of the same meaning. Though it is written the same as "Japan (日本)" it had no relations with the Japanese archipelago, but rather, it was a direct nod to Asadal, Baekje's self-proclaimed long ancestral kingdom's capital. However, according to historian Haruyuki Tōno (東野 治之), it is most likely that the characters "日本" was brought by Baekje refugees after the fall of Baekje as their use of "日本" dates much earlier than Japan's first ever use. Japan was known as "倭国 (Wakoku)" at the time. See my analysis on the etymology of Asadal for further clarification.

Kudara

Similar to Koma, Kudara is believed to be a foreign word as well. The most likely theory is that Baekje, though written as "백제 (百濟)" in Chinese characters, was actually called by Korean natives in their Koreanic tongue. That name is believed to be "큰나라 (Keunnara)" meaning "Big/Grand country" and it was carried over by the aforementioned Baekje immigrants into Japan, where it later became "Kudara".

Fascinatingly, it was retroactively re-introduced into Korean history when Yuzuki no Kimi (弓月君) or simply Yuzuki (弓月), the supposed founder of the Hata clan and a Baekje immigrant, was written under "弓月" which could be read as "Kungdar (궁달)" in Korean. It is believed that when the author of Nihon Shoki was creating a founding story for the Hata clan, a name that sounded similar to Kudara was created to emphasize their supposed Baekje roots (when in reality they were of Silla origin).

It is worth noting that the adjective "big" in Korean and Japanese share a common consonant, "k" found in: "Ōkī (おおきい)" and "Keuda (크다)", similar to the adjective "small" sharing the "ch" sound in: "Chīsai (ちいさい)" and "Chakda (작다)". Though they are not directly related, they can provide a possible hint at a bridge word that may provide a better insight to the phenomenon. Similar to the "Koma/Kuma" example mentioned above, there is a small possibility that "Keunnara" might be influenced by Peninsular Japonic spoken in the south, which was later incorporated into the Koreanic languages while pre-existing in the Japonic ones. "Nara (나라)" which means "country" might also have connections to Japanese in cases such as "Nara prefecture" and "Nara city", but it is not as convincing as others (see Nara (city)#Etymology).

Shiragi

This one is an interesting placename. Shiragi is the name for the kingdom of Silla, the kingdom Japan had the worst relationship out of the kingdoms of Korea (read post above for further information). However, the etymology of the pronunciation is not difficult, as Silla went by the name "斯羅" pronounced "사라 (Sara)" in Korean, but "しら (Shira)" in Japanese. The "Gi" part is believed to derive from the Japonic word "Ki (城)" meaning "kingdom", which aligns very nicely with the meaning "Kingdom of Shira (Silla)". In fact, it is considered as a rare find since "Shiragi" is a combination of Koreanic and Japonic words put into one.

Mimana

Mimana is Kun'yomi of the word "임나 (任那)" pronounced "Imna" in Korean. Therefore, it is safe to assume that it is completely Japonic.

Kara

In Old Korean, ancient Koreans used two characters of Han (using eumcha/음차), "韓" or "漢" (and to less extent "幹" or "刊") to describe themselves since both words shared the same pronunciation "한 (Han)" meaning "big" or "great" in native Korean which is thought to have derived from the now obsolete adjective "~하다 (Hada)" of the same meaning. Though now obsolete, such is evident in "Jinhan (辰韓)", "Byeonhan (弁韓)", "Mahan (馬韓)", "Hanguk (韓國)", "Hallasan (漢拏山)", "Han River (漢江)", or in "Hanseong (漢城)" an old name for Seoul, all sharing the word "Han". On top of place names, Korean used "漢 (Han)" to describe something that was big or have matured as evident in "황소 (Hwangso)" meaning bull evolving from "漢쇼 (Han-sho)" which meant "matured cow". Some place names also carry the meaning as seen in "Hallasan (Reaching big sky Mountain)", "Han River (Big River)" and "Hanseong (Big city/Capital)".

In Old Japanese, ancient Koreans (and things deriving from Korea) were called "Kara (から)", which under the same Kun’yomi used three separate characters "韓", "漢" and "唐". The etymology is thought to have been derived from the "Gaya Confederacy" which was known as "Kara (加羅)" in ancient Japan which later on adopted the aforementioned characters (韓/漢/唐) to represent Korea (and later on China or in general, lands outside of Japan as seen in Karate).

As mentioned above, Koreanic "Han" under "韓/漢/幹/刊" shared characters in Japanese as well. These words were pronounced "Gar/Kar (가르/카르)" in Old Korean, hence, it can be deduced that "Gara" is a derivative of old "Gar/Kar" and was carried over to Japan which later became "Kara".

Aya

Modern Japanese historians claim that the pronunciation "Aya" specifically originates from the kingdom of "Aya (安邪国)" (old name for Ara Gaya) where the placename became the etymology of the ancient Aya clans. According to the theory, the immigrants brought many Baekje technologies from Aya and were considered as close kin to the people of Baekje. Some nationalist historians used this to support the claims over the Mimana controversy stating that Mimana (Gaya) was in fact Japanese due to the relations between the kingdom of Aya and the Aya clans of Japan. Despite the lukewarm reception in Korea, evidence alludes to the possibilities of Japanese speakers in the region.

This point may allude to the word "Aya" being of Peninsular Japonic origin rather than Koreanic, however, nothing is conclusive.

Hata

The etymology of "Hata" is believed to be "Hada" (肌) meaning "skin" alluding to the silk produced by the immigrants, or "Hada/Hata" a Japanese translation of the Korean word "Pada (바다)" meaning "ocean" as they came across the seas. In Old Japanese, "Hada" would have sounded closer to "Pada" as the consonant "h" was pronounced as "p", and the word "Pada" in Korean is believed to be of Silla origin.

Further research points to a specific area in Silla known as "Padan (파단/波旦)" read as "Hatan (はたん)" in Japanese, located in Uljin County as the origin of the Hata clan. According to a research published by Ritsumeikan University, the clan was indeed from Padan and their descendants settled in the Sagano area. Though the area does not exist today, it is mentioned in the Uljin Silla Stele, a stele that was erected during the Silla period. Padan is considered the most likely candidate of Hata clan's origin due to its similar pronunciation (Hatan-Hata) in Japanese while also sharing a character "波 (Ha)" within their respective names (in Hata clan's original name, 波多). In addition, the word "Padan/波旦" meant "ocean" in the Goguryeo language, a language that is considered Koreanic (same with the Silla language), which further supports the "Hata-Hatan-Ocean-Silla" theory. Interestingly, the verb "渡る (Wataru)" which means "to cross" say, like the ocean in Japanese is believed to have derived from the Korean word "Padan/Hatan" as well (Padan → Hatan → Hata → Wata). This is evident as both words (波/渡) have the "water radical (氵)" and have extremely similar pronunciations, which highly denotes the possibility of sharing a root word.

In essence, the pronunciation of "Hata", as mentioned above, is believed to have derived from the area of "Padan" and was only given the character of Qin (秦) later on. Similar to "Kara" being written as "Tang (唐)" but having roots in the kingdom of "Kara", and "Aya" being written as "Han (漢)" but having roots in the Koreanic word "Ara Gaya", it is believed to have been directly associated with Korean kingdoms at first, then later expanded to China over several millennia, adopting different characters and interchanging when necessary.

In conclusion:

Word	Pronunciation	Characters	Etymology	Original Characters	Language family
こうくり	Kōkuri	高句麗	Goguryeo	❌ On'yomi of 高句麗	Koreanic
こま	Koma	高麗	Bear	고마 (熊) [Koma]	Koreanic Peninsular Japonic(?)
くだら	Kudara	百済	Baekje	큰나라 [Keunnara]	Koreanic Peninsular Japonic(?)
しらぎ	Shiragi	新羅	Silla	사라/しら (斯羅) + き (城) [Sara/Shira + Ki]	Koreanic + Japonic
みまな	Mimana	任那	Gaya	❌ Kun'yomi of 任那	Japonic
から	Kara	韓/漢/唐	Gaya (Gara)	가르/카르 (韓/漢/幹/刊) → 가라 (加羅) [Gar/Kar] → [Gara]	Koreanic
あや	Aya	漢	Ara Gaya (Aya)	아야 (安邪) [Aya]	Peninsular Japonic(?)
はた	Hata	秦	Ocean	파단 (波旦) → 바다 → はた (波多) [Padan] → [Pada] → [Hata]	Koreanic

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Dissecting the etymology of Asadal, "The Land of the Morning" from Old Chinese, Old Korean and Old Japanese perspective

Asadal

Asadal is the name of the capital city of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom in history. Allegedly founded by the legendary figure Dangun, Asadal became the core city of Gojoseon and the following kingdoms that followed after. However, despite its iconic status, the etymology of the once capital city of Korea is shrouded in mystery. The biggest question is what "Asadal" exactly meant.

One hypothesis is that the word 아사달 is a compound composed of two elements, asa + dal; this hypothesis is primarily motivated by an assumption of equivalence between the Chinese phonetic transcription 阿斯達 Asīdá and the word 조선 Joseon (朝鮮, Cháoxiǎn or Cháoxiān, in Chinese), another name for Korea. However, the etymology of 조선 Joseon is ultimately unknown, with opinions differing as to whether the word was created as a phonetic transcription or as a semantic calque (presumably of a foreign word). Furthermore, the reading of the Mandarin Chinese character 朝 (cháo) in Cháoxian (Joseon) is identical to the reading when used to mean "dynasty," not with the reading when used to mean "morning" (which would instead be zhāo).

However, the character 斯, which is used in modern Chinese languages mainly to represent the phonemes /s/ or /θ/ in word-final and preconsonantal positions when transcribing foreign words, has always had a sibilant (/s/) rather than an affricate like the Korean (/ch/), and there are plenty of other characters better suited to transcribing the Korean sound. The second part, dal, might be the result of reading Chinese characters in the Korean way; if so, the original Chinese pronunciation at the time Asadal was recorded in historical texts could have been Asada, with the final syllable (-da) as a transcription of the Middle Korean word ᄯᅡᇂ〮 (stáh), Early Modern Korean ᄯᅡ (sta), Modern Korean 따 (tta) or 땅 (ttang), meaning "land." In this case, Asadal would mean "Morning Land." If, however, the final syllable was used much like the Goryeo city-name suffix -dal (used for mountains or cities founded on plateaus/mountains), then Asadal would mean "Morning Mountain."

— from Asadal page

As seen above, "Asadal" most likely shared the meaning with the kingdom of "Joseon" itself, one carrying the meaning in Chinese characters (Joseon), while the other being a more literal name transcribed from Old Korean (Asadal). Despite this, the name does not make much sense when translated to Mandarin Chinese as "Joseon" does not necessarily mean "Morning Land", but could also mean "Land of a dynasty". However, when using interpretations of Old Korean (most likely using the Idu system), Joseon and Asadal most likely shared the same meaning as "Asa" would most likely have meant "Morning" where "Dal" would most likely have meant "Land", which can be interpreted as "Morning Land", whereas "Jo" meant "Morning" and "Seon" meant "Mountain". This sentiment was prevalent in Korea evident in the publication of Sinjŭng Tongguk yŏji sŭngnam (1530) which mentions the same idea. If the assumptions of Old Korean pronunciation is correct, the most likely pronunciation of Asadal would have been "Asada".

However, we can go deeper by incorporating Old Japanese into the mix.

It also draws possible connections to the Japanese word "Asa (あさ)" meaning "morning (朝)". The modern Korean word for morning "Achim" (아침) is thought to have evolved from Middle Korean "Achom (아ᄎᆞᆷ〮)." Using Japanese Asa as a cognate, alongside the aforementioned theories, it can be deduced that "Asadal" most likely meant "Morning Land" or "Morning Mountain". In fact, up until the Yamato Kingdom changed its name from "Wakoku (倭国)" to "Nihon (日本)", Ancient Korean kingdoms such as Baekje had used the same characters "日本", literally meaning "Land where the sun rises" (no relations to Japan) when it colloquially addressed itself, seeming to have carried over the meaning of "Morning Land" from Asadal.

— from Asadal page

"Morning" in Modern Korean is "Achim (아침)". However, when backtracking the historical usage of the word, it can be deduced that the original word most likely stemmed from the verb "앛- (Ach-)", meaning "early". By making the verb into a noun using the "-ᄋᆞᆷ (-am)" suffix, "Morning" in Old Korean most likely meant "Earliness". This is evident in the etymology: 앛ᄋᆞᆷ (Acham) → 아ᄎᆞᆷ (Achom) → 아츰 (Acheum) → 아침 (Achim). The part I wanted to emphasize is the "Ach-" part. As mentioned above, the Japanese word for "Morning" or "あさ (Asa)" might be a cognate between Asadal's "Asa" and Acham's "Acha". The most likely scenario is either:

(A) Korean immigrants (Toraijin) brought over the word "Asa/Acha" and was adopted into Japanese (AKA Sprachbund effect).

or

(B) It is a remnant of Peninsular Japonic which affected both languages.

Even though I am proponent of the Peninsular Japonic theory and in favor of the concept of proto-Japanonic speakers in the southern part of Korea, I firmly believe scenario (A) is a stronger contender due to several reasons. First, Gojoseon is most likely a Yemaek kingdom, meaning, they were most likely proto-Koreanic speakers, not Japonic as they were situated in the north not south of the peninsula (see my genealogical analysis on the immigrants of ancient Korea). Second, as seen in my linguistical analysis of ancient placenames of Korea in Old Japanese, much of the words that were brought over from Korea to Japan were mostly Koreanic words with slight(?) hint of Peninsular Japonic influence. Safe to say, Korean "Asa/Acha" and Japanese "Asa" are most likely related, both stemming from the proto-Koreanic word meaning "Morning/Earliness".

The "Asa-Acha-Asa" argument becomes stronger when we bring Goguryeo and Baekje into the picture, kingdoms that were built by the descendants of the Yemaek people and also proto-Koreanic speakers whom many migrated to Japan later. The meaning of "Morning Land" of Asadal was carried over by both Goguryeo and Baekje as Goguryeo claimed successorship of Joseon (Gojoseon) and Baekje's ruling class migrated from said Goguryeo who must have shared the same sentiment. This is evident in the words "Jolbon (卒本)" and "Ilbon (日本)", two words that each mean "Summit Land" and "Morning Land". Let's start with the prior.

Jolbon

"Jolbon" or sometimes written as "Holbon (忽本)", was the first capital city of Goguryeo. The meaning of Jolbon is somewhat complicated as it requires reconstruction of ancient Korean language in order to deduce its precise ancient pronunciation. In essence, "Jol" is believed to have sounded similar to "Sol" in ancient times, with "Bon" sounding similar to "Buri" in Old Korean. The proper pronunciation of "Jol" and/or "Hol" is believed to have been "Sol", and its meaning is believed to have later evolved into "Suri (수리)" (Sol → Seul → Suri) in Modern Korean (found in Surigol/수리골) which historically meant "Summit". "Bon" on the other hand is believed to be a representation of an ancient word for "Land", pronounced "Buri". In addition to being written as "本", "Buri" was also written under "伐" which is pronounced "Beol (벌)" in Modern Korean, but was pronounced "Buri/Buru/Bara/Beoreo" as well. Overall, Jol/Hol's original pronunciation "Sol" most likely meant "Summit" and the meaning of "Buri (本/伐)" most likely meant "Land", which means "Jolbon" or "Solburi" meant "Summit Land".

The meaning behind "Summit Land" can be interpreted similarly with "Morning Land" or "Morning Mountain" as the summit of a mountain is where the sun rises the earliest, thus carrying both the meaning of "mountain" and "land" simultaneously. It becomes clear that the capital of Asadal and its meaning was carried over to Goguryeo and its own capital city as well.

Ilbon

Written as "日本", unlike the modern usage today which heavily alludes to the country of Japan (日本), it was first used by Baekje to address their kingdom and its region. This is evident in the epitaph of a Baekje individual named "Yegun (예군)" who served the last king of Baekje (Uija of Baekje), where the word "日本" is inscribed. For further context, the kingdom of Baekje fell during Yegun's life after the Baekje–Tang War where the kingdom of Silla allied with the Tang, conquered Goguryeo and Baekje. Wakoku (Japan's original name) under the Yamato Kingship was an integral ally to Baekje, sending thousands of troops to aid the kingdom and taking back myriad of refugees back to Japan after Baekje's fall. It is recorded that Uija, alongside his servants (including Yegun) was sent to the Tang dynasty where he was executed in the aftermath. Yegun is known to be a loyal servant of Uija of Baekje, and served by his side until his execution. After Uija's death, Yegun served as a mediator of now Tang-controlled regions of Baekje, until Silla regained its territory after the Silla-Tang War.

An excerpt from from Yegun's epitaph (7th century) mentioning "日本 (Ilbon)"

日本餘噍據扶桑以逋誅 [...]

The remaining refugees of Ilbon (日本) were able to evade the culling thanks to the Busang (扶桑) kingdom [...]

---

"Busang kingdom" or "Eastern kingdom", most likely meant Wakoku (Japan) as the east of the Korean peninsula is the Japanese archipelago.

— Excerpt from Yegun's Epitaph (7th century)

As seen in the excerpt, the epitaph is alluding to the Tang-Silla alliance war that was waged against Baekje, mentioning how the refugees of Ilbon (Baekje) were able to evade the subsequent culling made by the Silla-Tang forces. "Ilbon" first makes its presence here as a placename Yegun used to address his kingdom of Baekje. As mentioned in the Asadal/Jolbon sections, Ilbon can be translated as "Morning Land", incorporating "日" pronounced "Nyi" and meaning "Sun" with "本" pronounced as "Buri" and meaning "Land". Similar to "Summit Land" Solburi of Goguryeo, Nyiburi of Baekje most likely carried the meaning of "Morning Land" from Asadal/Joseon, alluding to a land where the sun rises the earliest. It is when the refugees from Baekje who migrated to Japan after the fall of their kingdom (many who were given high position seats in the Imperial government) encouraged the Yamato Kingship to adopt the meaning of "Morning Land" as the Japanese archipelago was indeed the first place in East Asia to see the sun rise first. This is evident as the epitaph was most likely created in the 7th century near Yegun's death in 678, which predates Japan's first ever use of the characters (8th century).

However, Ilbon/Nyiburi was never used as a placename for a specific location. Instead, it is believed to have been used as a general indicator for the region of Baekje, similar to "USA" and "America" or "UK" and "Britain" of today.

Soburi

The official name of the capital of Baekje. Unlike Ilbon, which is largely considered as a general term for the region, "Soburi" was indeed the official name of the capital. As mentioned in the Jolbon section, "Soburi (所夫里)" is believed to be a variant of "Solburi" only with its pronunciation directly written in characters (using the Hyangchal system) whereas "Solburi" was written as "Jolbon" only carrying the meaning (using the Idu system). It is largely believed to have meant "Capital City" and did not necessarily carried the meaning of "Summit Land" of Solburi. Instead, only adopting the sound from Solburi while maintaining its function as the word for "Capital City". This is evident of it being written under the Hyangchal system which focuses on phonetic reading and not under the Idu system which focuses more on the meaning.

Seorabeol

Similar to Jolbon of Goguryeo and Soburi of Baekje, the kingdom of Silla also used a specific placename for its capital city. "Seorabeol (徐羅伐)" is believed to be a combination of the word "Sori" or "Sere", an ancient pronunciation of the modern word "Soi (쇠)" meaning "Metal", with "Beol" meaning "Land" as mentioned above. Despite "Soi" largely meaning metal today, "Sori/Sere" is believed to have been related to anything that was bright and shining such as gold and other precious metal as evident in it's alternate spelling "Keumseong (金城/금성)" which literally means "City of Gold". That being said, the proper pronunciation of "Seora (徐羅)" is believed to be "Sere" as "Sori" is believed to have been used for materialistic objects, whereas "Sere" was used in a more sentimental way similar to "Sara (斯羅)" as seen in my previous analysis. Knowing that "Seora (徐羅)" was pronounced "Sere" and meant "Shining/Bright", and "Beol (伐)" was pronounced "Buru" and meant "Land", "Sereburu" most likely meant "Shining Land" or "Bright Land" most likely alluding to light and its radiance. This aligns with other placenames such as Soburi, Jolbon, Ilbon, Asadal, and Joseon, all alluding to the land of the morning, light, and sun.

Interestingly, this variant of the ancient word "Buri", written as "Buru" can be found in both capitals of the two Koreas today with Seoul deriving from "Sereburu" and the native Korean way of addressing Pyongyang deriving from "Buruna", meaning "Land (Buru) of the Field (Na)". In fact, the word "Seoul (서울)" derives from a Middle Korean word "Syeoveul (셔ᄫᅳᆯ)" which in turn derives from the Old Korean word "Seobeol (徐伐)" and ultimately back to Seorabeol.

Summary:

Proposed etymological history (*ancient pronunciation)

Joseon/朝鮮 "Eastern country where the sun rises" [Name of the kingdom of (Go)Joseon] (Using the Idu system)
|
Asadal/阿斯達 (pronounced *Asada) "Morning Land" or "Morning Mountain" [Capital City of (Go)Joseon] (Using the Hyangchal system)
╱				╲
Jol(Hol)bon/卒(忽)本 (pronounced *Solburi) "Summit Land" [Goguryeo] (Using the Idu system)			ー	Ilbon/日本 (pronounced *Nyiburi) "Morning Land" [Baekje] (Using the Idu system)
╱		╲	╱		|
Seorabeol/徐羅伐 (pronounced *Sereburu) "Shining Land" or "Bright Land" [Silla] (Using the Idu system)	ー	Soburi/所夫里 "Capital City" [Baekje] (Using the Hyangchal system)			|
|	╱				|
Seobeol/徐伐 (pronounced *Seoburu) "Capital City" [Goryeo]	╲				Nippen/日本 "Morning Land" [Name of the country Wakoku] (likely adopted)
|		|			|
Syeoveul/셔ᄫᅳᆯ "Capital City" [Joseon]		Buruna/부루나 "Land of the Field" [Joseon]			|
|		|			|
Seoul/서울 "Capital City" [South Korea]		Pyongyang/평양 (pronounced *Buruna) "Capital City" [North Korea]			Nihon/日本 "Morning Land" [Japan]

In conclusion: The name Asadal carries a tremendous meaning which is shared across multiple kingdoms throughout history. The notion of "Morning Land/Mountain" is believed to have originated from Joseon and was carried over by every succeeding kingdoms of Korea and even the country of Japan (ex-Wakoku). Its meaning remains in the present day placenames such as Seoul and Japan while the evolved meaning of "Capital City" is retained in placenames like Pyongyang.

Recommended books

If you are interested in the Japanese language and/or other East Asian languages in general, I recommend the following books:

• The Eastern Old Japanese Corpus and Dictionary (Alexander Vovin & Sambi Ishisaki-vovin) - A very good book that discusses etymology and origins of Middle-Old Japanese vocabulary.
• Koguryo: The Language of Japan's Continental Relatives: An Introduction to the Historical-Comparative Study of the Japanese-Koguryoic Languages (Christopher I. Beckwith) - The book that dives deeply into the overlap between Goguryeo and Old Japanese, finding evidence and holes within the macro-Altaic languages theory.