「秀吉の降伏」を確認した明は朝議の結果「封は許すが貢は許さない」(明の冊封体制下に入る事は認めるが勘合貿易は認めない)と決め、秀吉に対し日本国王の称号と金印を授けるため日本に使節を派遣した。 After confirming 'Hideyoshi's surrender,' Ming decided by deliberation of the court that 'Ho is allowed but Ko is not allowed' (It is allowed to join the sakuho (homage by Chinese emperors) system of Ming, but tally trade is not allowed), and dispatched an envoy to Japan to confer the title of the king of Japan and a gold seal on Hideyoshi.
日本側は従来の冊封体制的な交隣関係から、条約に基礎づけられた関係へと、日朝関係を変化させることを企図したのであるが、一方朝鮮側はこれまでどおり冊封関係にとどまり、その中で日本との関係を位置づけようとしていた。 Japan attempted to change the style of the relationship with Korea from that of peace and amity based on the conventional tributary system to that based on a treaty, whereas Korea intended to maintain the conventional tributary system and establish a relationship with Japan under its framework.
しかし、中華秩序において冊封を受けた朝貢国は元々「自主の邦」であるため、清朝の冊封体制から離脱させようという日本の意図は朝鮮王朝にとっても朝鮮の知識人にとって理解しがたいものであった。 However, it was difficult for the Korean dynasty and Korean intellectuals to understand the Japanese intention to force Korea to secede from the tributary system of the Qing dynasty, on the grounds that a tributary country, on which China had conferred sakuho (homage by Chinese emperors) in the Sinocentrism order, was originally an "independent country."
朝鮮半島においては、高麗のモンゴル帝国干渉期から李氏朝鮮まで他国の冊封体制下にあったため太子の称号が使えず、国王の継承者は「王世子」と呼ばれていたが、日清戦争の結果、下関条約が結ばれた事により清国の冊封から外れ、国号を大韓と改めた際に「皇太子」を使うようになった。 Since the Korean peninsula was under the tributary system from the Goryeo period which was subjected to the interference by the Mongolian Empire to Joseon Dynasty, the successor to the king was called '王世子 (crown prince)', but since the Treaty of Shimonoseki was concluded as a result of Sino-Japanese War, Korea was released from the tributary system of the Qing,, the name of the country was changed to Korea and 'Crown Prince' came into use.
そもそも「国王」称号や「干支」の使用は中華秩序における冊封体制の残滓であり、中華帝国を頂点として周辺諸国を従属国視する、伝統的東アジア外交秩序そのものであり、いまこそ、その体制から離脱を図り、かつ朝鮮側にもそれを認知させようとしたのだ、という論である。 One opinion is as follows: Use of the title of 'King' and the 'Oriental zodiac' was a residue of the China-centered sakuho (homage by Chinese emperors) system, indicating the traditional eastern Asian diplomatic order with China placed at the top and nations around it considered dependent on China, and it was time to try separating from such a system and to make such a situation acknowledged by the Korean side as well.