Hwarang (Flowering Knights) were groups of young men in Silla, an ancient Korean kingdom. They were educational institutions as well as social clubs where members gathered for all aspects of study.

Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa record stories about the origin of Hwarang. According to them the first two groups, called Wonhwa, were female. They made trouble and were abolished. Then another group of Hwarang had a code of ethics:

1. Loyalty to the Emperor/King
2. Filial piety to parents/family
3. Respect among friends
4. No retreat in war
5. No unjust killing

Samguk Yusa also says that they learned the Five Cardinal Confucian Virtues, the Six Arts, the Three Scholarly Occupations, and the Six Ways of Government Service (五常六藝 三師六正). What is sure is that Hwarang were greatly influenced by Chinese cultures such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Tangsu military arts. According to the Hwarang Segi, cited by Samguk Sagi, wise ministers and loyal subjects were chosen from them, and good generals and brave soldiers sprang from them.

Today the Hwarang are generally believed to have been an elite youth corps that practiced Chinese Tangsu military training in addition to archery and studied scholarly works. Among about 30 recorded Hwarang members, few were definitely warriors. The Five Precepts for the Secular World (Sesok Ogye; 세속 오계; 世俗五戒)--the fourth of which is "Face battle without retreat"--were promoted by the 7th-century Korean Buddhist monk Wongwang and are usually said to be one of the disciplines of Hwarang. The Silla Dynasty were influenced by the Tang Dynasty of China after they formed an alliance in the 7th-century especially in the military arts. The Silla Dynasty lasts until the 10th-century.

After the fall of Silla, Hwarang survived changing their characteristics. During the Joseon Dynasty Hwarang meant male shaman.

In late 1980s, a manuscript of Hwarang Segi (Annals of Hwarang, 花郞世記) has been found in Kimhae County of South Korea.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• http://hwarang.org/Ancienthistory.html
• http://www.hwarangdo.com/hrd1.htm