Seokjeon originated in Goguryeo. The first known record of the stone battle game (in the
Book of Sui) describes it being played by the subjects of
Goguryeo in the sixth century C.E. The king of Goguryeo was present at these contests, in which participants throw stones and shouted in an attempt to drive the opposing team into the Daedong River. Large crowds of spectators would gather for these events, which could last for hours or even days. In some areas the game was used as a tool for divination, with the outcome supposedly indicating how successful the year's harvest would be. Stone battles could be enormous affairs, lasting for several days and involving large gangs of players. The cities of
Gimhae, Seoul and
Pyongyang staged particularly impressive stone battles, usually during the
Damo festivities. Such events often came close to civil unrest, with
seokjeon players in Pyeong-yang targeting the
yangban who owned the land, stoning their houses and holdings. However, the stone-throwers were not always on the wrong side of the rioting; there are reports that the
Japanese riots of 1510 in three Korean ports were quelled largely as a result of the skilled stone battle players who faced the Japanese. The
Japanese eventually suppressed the game during the early part of the twentieth century, blaming it for causing social instability. As a result, it has largely died out in modern Korea. ==References==