Kija Chosà Ân (1120âÂÂ194 BC) was a dynasty of Gojoseon allegedly founded by the sage Jizi (Kija), a member of the Shang (Yin) dynasty royal house.
Chinese records before the Qin dynasty describe Kija (ç®ÂÃ¥ÂÂ) as the paternal uncle (or brother in other records) of the last king of the Shang dynasty, the tyrannical King Zhou, but contain no mention of king Zhou's relationship with Gojoseon. Kija was imprisoned by the tyrant until the downfall of Shang Kingdom, when King Wu of Zhou released him.
Records written after the Qin dynasty, when the Han dynasty and Gojoseon were at war, add that Kija led 5,000 to the east of present-day Beijing, as written in the "Geography" section of the Book of Han (although some, especially in China, believe him to have moved to present-day Korea), and became the founding king of Kija Chosà Ân. In Sima Qian's Shi Ji, Kija is mentioned in the following sentence:
No contemporary Korean sources existed for Kija Chosà Ân, and the oldest sources produced in Korea were from the Goryeo dynasty. The earliest Korean record about Kija Chosà Ân can be seen from Samguk Yusa,
It was widely believed that Kija Chosà Ân was located on the Korean Peninsula, replacing Gojoseon of Dangun. But some Korean scholars believed that Kija settled west of Gojoseon, based on records from "Geography" section of the Book of Han, and the Korean Samguk Yusa that suggests that Gojoseon continued to coexist with Kija Chosà Ân after the migration of Kija. These scholars believed that Kija's influence was limited to western part of Gojoseon.
The Genealogy of the Cheongju Han Clan (ì²Â주ÃÂÂì¨ì¸보) lists the names of 73 rulers of Kija Chosà Ân and their periods of reign; however, it is not widely accepted by current Korean mainstream historians.
Wiman Joseon is said to begin with the usurpation of the throne from Jun of Gojoseon and the line of kings descended from Kija.
Sin Chaeho said that Kija Chosà Ân (323 BC-194 BC) refers to the putative period of Beonjoseon, one of the Three Confederate States of Gojoseon, after the Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan was invaded by Yan as shown in the records of Weilüe. Chinese traditional accounts indicate that Gihu's ancestor, Kija, was the same person as Jizi (both written as ç®Âå in Hanzi/Hanja).
According to Sin Chaeho's Joseon Sangosa, Beonjoseon began disintegrating after its king had been killed by a rebel from the Chinese state of Yan at around 323 BC. With this, the five ministers of Beonjoseon began contending for the throne. Marquess of Chosà Ân from the Gi clan joined in this struggle, and emerged victorious as the new king of Beonjoseon, defeating the competitors for the throne. He established Kija Chosà Ân, named after his ancestor Kija. During Kija Chosà Ân, the king enjoyed strong sovereign powers. Eventually, in 94 BC, Kija Chosà Ân fell after King Jun was overthrown by Wiman, who established Wiman Joseon in its place.
The Korean historian Kim Jung-bae claims that the association between Jizi and Joseon is wrong. He believed that the existence of Kija Chosà Ân as a state established by Jizi was fabricated during Han dynasty. He further claims that the Bamboo Annals, and Confucius's Analects, which was the earliest extant text that referred to Jizi, did not say anything about his going to Gojoseon. Similarly, the Records of the Grand Historian, written soon after the conquest of Wiman Joseon by the Han dynasty, made no reference to Joseon in its discussions about Jizi and no reference to Jizi in its discussions about Joseon.
According to some sources, ancient Koreans claimed that Kija came from the Zhou dynasty but there is no archaeological evidence to support early involvement of the Chinese.