• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.38-53
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• 2012

The transition process of the Balhae's capital system(都城制度) is a step-by-step marker of the completion of the state's governing system(支配體制). The most important subject in investigating the formation process of the capital of Balhae is Shanggyeongsheng(上京城). That's because Shanggyeongsheng(上京城) with a threefold-castle structure(三重城) of royal palace(宮城)-internal castle(內城)-external castle(外城) in the side-to-side checkerboard type symmetrical structure has the most paradigmatic castle structure not only in Balhae but also in East Asia. Despite the fact that such structure of Shanggyeongsheng(上京城) has a lot of similarities in the type with Sudangchangansheng(上京城) in Chungwon, scholars were skeptical that it had the same structure with Sudangchangansheng(上京城) at the time when transferring the capital. If we review the result of excavation of Shanggyeongsheng(上京城) and the findings of the senior scholars, it can be understood that Shanggyeongsheng(上京城) has not only the structure of Sudangchangansheng(上京城) but also accepted the principle of construction projected in it. It was confirmed that there is room for reconsideration on the theory of step-by-step construction(段階別築造) which was claimed based on the point that the construction like today's construction was impossible with the level of national power at that time in that the layers whose difference in construction time between the place No. 2, the central point of the royal palace, and the palaces No. 3~5 could be found were not identified, in that the whole Shanggyeongsheng(上京城) was planned by the same standard scale and finally in that there is a good possibility of accepting Samjoje(三朝制). The Shanggyeongsheng(上京城) is the result of the construction conducted by careful planning from the beginning, and with its close relation with the King Mun's(文王) policy of civilian government(文治), it shows that the governing system of the state was completed during the reign of King Mun. Therefore, the construction of the capital and the principle of construction(造營原理) projected in it are based on the premise that the Chungwon culture(中原文化) was being understood to a considerable level, and this means that the view of the world(天下觀) that he wanted to implement expanded throughout the whole Balhae.