Parhae

"Pohai" redirects here. For the politician, see Pohai Ryan.

For other uses, see Bohai.

Parhae (Balhae) / Bohai (Pohai) 渤海 (Korean) (Hanja) 발해 (Hangul) Parhae, Balhae 渤海 (Chinese) Bóhǎi
698–926
The territory of Parhae in 830, during the reign of King Sŏn (Xuan) of Parhae.
Capital	Dongmo Mountain (698–742) Central capital (742–756) Upper capital (756–785) Eastern capital (785–793) Upper capital (793–926)
Common languages	Parhae
Other languages	Goguryeo (Koreanic), Tungusic languages, Classical Chinese (literary)
Religion	Buddhism, Shamanism, Confucianism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 698–719	Go (Gao) (first)
• 719–737	Mu (Wu)
• 737–793	Mun (Wen)
• 818–830	Sŏn (Xuan)
• 907–926	Tae Insŏn (Da Yinzhuan) (last)
History
• Tae Chungsang begins military campaigns	696
• Establishment in Tianmenling	698
• "Parhae" as a kingdom name	713
• Fall of Sang-gyeong	14 January 926
Population
• 10th century	1.5–4 million
Preceded by Succeeded by Goguryeo Mohe Peoples Liao dynasty Dongdan Goryeo Later Parhae Jurchens
Today part of	China North Korea Russia
Korean name
Hangul	발해
Hanja	渤海
RR	Balhae
MR	Parhae
IPA	[paɽɦɛ]
Alternate Korean name
Hangul	진국
Hanja	震國
RR	Jinguk
MR	Chin'guk
IPA	[tɕinguk̚]
Chinese name
Chinese	渤海
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Bóhǎi Wade–Giles Po-hai
Manchu name
Manchu script	ᡦᡠᡥᠠ‍ᡳ
Romanization	Puhai
Russian name
Russian	Бохай
Romanization	Bokhay

Parhae, also rendered as Bohai or Balhae, and called Jin early on, was a multiethnic kingdom established in 698 by Tae Choyŏng (Da Zuorong). It was originally known as the Kingdom of Jin (震, Zhen) until 713, when its name was changed to Parhae. At its greatest extent it corresponded to what is today Northeast China, the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and the southeastern Russian Far East.

There are differing accounts of Parhae's founding, but most of them state that when Parhae was founded by Tae Choyŏng in 698, it involved Goguryeo and Mohe people. Parhae's early history was marked by a rocky relationship with the Tang dynasty, characterized by military and political conflict, but by the end of the 8th century the relationship had become cordial and friendly. The Tang dynasty would eventually recognize Parhae as the "Prosperous Country in the East".

Parhae's culture has been described as similar to, derived from, or affiliated with Goguryeo, Mohe, Khitan, and Tang cultural elements. However the exact nature of Parhae's relationship to these cultures is disputed. Parhae adopted some of the Tang's administrative systems like Three Departments and Six Ministries. Parhae was conquered by the Khitan-led Liao dynasty in 926. A significant portion of Parhae's population fled to Goryeo while others remained in Parhae or were deported to other places in the Liao empire. Parhae survived as a distinct population group for another three centuries in the Liao and Jin dynasties before assimilating into other groups and disappearing under Mongol rule.

The history surrounding the origin of the state, its ethnic composition, the modern cultural affiliation of the ruling dynasty, the reading of their names, and its borders are the subject of a historiographical dispute between Korea, China and Russia. Historical sources from both China and Korea have described Parhae's founder, Tae Choyŏng, as related to the Mohe people and Goguryeo.