Hangul 원화 Revised Romanization Wonhwa | Hanja 源花 also 原花 McCune–Reischauer Wŏnhwa | |
The wonhwa (Original Flowers) were a class of cadets in 6th-century Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It is not clear to what extent they ever engaged in battle. Created in the reign of King Jinheung, the first group of wonhwa consisted of about 300 young people chosen for their beauty and skill. Their leaders were two women. However, after one of them committed murder, the wonhwa class was abolished, and replaced by the all-male hwarang.
Subsequently, the Wonhwa title was granted to female spiritual leaders of the Hwarang. "The term Won Hwa is often incorrectly used to represent a single individual; in fact, Won Hwa was a group of highly revered Buddhist nuns who spiritually guided these Buddhist monastic warriors."
Some have suggested that wonhwa might be the origin of the later kisaeng class, but little evidence exists to support this theory.