Winter 2009 Vol. 2 No. 4 Winter 2009 Vol
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C M Y K 은색 금색 공용공용 Winter 2009 Vol. 2 No. 4 Winter 2009 Vol. 2 No. 4 Vol. ISSN 2005-0151 Quarterly Magazine of the Cultural Heritage Administration Winter 2009 Vol. 2 No. 4 C M Y K 은색 금색 공용공용 Cover The cover design features silhouettes of Korean ceramics against a black back- ground. Black symbolizes winter. The sym- Winter 2009 Vol. 2 No. 4 bolism originates from the traditional “five directional colors” based on the ancient Chinese thought of wuxing, or ohaeng in Korean. The colors were associated with seasons and other phenomena in nature, including the fate of humans. For a story about Korean ceramics, see Page 37. KOREAN HERITAGE is also available on the website. ( http://english.cha.go.kr ) 3 | 4 ADMINISTRATOR’S NOTE KOREAN FOLK CUSTOMS A Pioneer in Protecting Intangible Cultural Heritage Great Full Moon Festival Korea has made systematic efforts to protect the nation’s traditional arts and culture since For Koreans of pre-modern times, especially for those in rural areas, the first two weeks of the enactment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Law in 1962, which covered time-hon- the year from the lunar New Year’s Day to the first full moon was a season for holy rituals ored intangible cultural heritage. In 2003, the nation became a signatory to the UNESCO and merrymaking. It was the time for planning another fruitful year as well as recreation Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Thus we have joined and entertainment before farm work began. global endeavors to ensure better visibility of different intangible cultural legacies of hu- Cracking nuts was the first thing to do on the morning of manity and to enhance awareness of their significance. the Great Full Moon Day (Daeboreum). It was a popular The latest meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding habit that began in ancient times in the belief that it would of the Intangible Heritage in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, set another milestone in ward off skin boils during the year. The breakfast table Korea’s enduring efforts to preserve its traditional performing arts and rites. The session invariably had rice made of five grains ogokbap( ) and sev- in October this year placed five Korean nominees on the UNESCO Representative List of eral kinds of seasoned vegetables (namul). Also, a glass of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They are Ganggangsullae, a women’s circle clear rice wine was a favored drink to clear one’s ears to dance and song; Namsadang Nori, a variety show of itinerant male entertainers; Yeongsan- hear good news. jae, a temple ritual celebrating the Buddha’s sermon on Vulture Peak; Jeju Chilmeoridang As the full moon rose over the hills and fields, it was the Yeongdeunggut, a shamanic rite of Jeju Island to pray for calm seas and abundant harvest; time for everyone to come out and greet the moon, make and Cheoyongmu, a masked dance appeasing the gods of five directions. Korea now has bonfires and say one’s prayers. Farmers prayed for a rich crop, young men for success in eight items on the UNESCO list. The three treasures designated earlier were the royal an- public service examinations, and bachelors and spinsters for luck in finding a good spouse. cestral rites at Jongmyo, pansori epic chants and the Dano festival of Gangneung. A bright moon was believed to predict bountiful harvests and a faint moon was suppos- Korea also earned the category II status for its proposal to establish the Intangible Cultural edly an omen of poor harvests. Nobody was supposed to sleep on this night of the year’s Heritage Center for Asia and the Pacific (ICHCAP) at the 35th general conference of biggest moon; when anyone in the family fell into sleep, someone put white flour on his/ UNESCO, held in Paris in October. Hence the nation has achieved significant momentum her eyebrows. Hence the old saying, “Sleep on the night of Great Full Moon and you will in realizing our long cherished aspiration to contribute to the preservation of intangible get white eyebrows.” cultural legacies in Asia and the Pacific region. We will do our utmost to carry out di- The sleepless night would offer a lot of exciting activities, such as treading on the earth verse useful projects and to provide technical and administrative assistance to our regional god (jisin bapgi), treading on bridges (dari bapgi, or dapgyo), spinning fireworks (jwibul neighbors. nori), tug-of-war (jul darigi), see-saw jumping (neol ttwigi), shuttlecock kicking (jegi cha- gi) and kite flying (yeon nalligi). Yi, Kun Moo Administrator Cultural Heritage Administration Republic of Korea 5 | 6 Autumn 2009 Vol. 2 No. 4 CONTENTS 07 World Heritage in Korea 25 Photo Gallery Gyeongju Historic Areas Accessories of Korean Women 13 Natural Heritage 33 Foreigner’s View Domestic Animals as Natural Monument Korean Cuisine with a Twist 17 Guardians of Cultural Heritage 37 National Treasure Chun Hyung-pil: A Patriotic Art Collector Ceramics: Beauty Created from Clay 21 Scientific Heritage 43 Intangible Heritage Ancient Ice Storages: Technology of Wind and Stone Taekkyeon: A Martial Art with Scholarly Dignity World Heritage in Korea 7 | 8 Gyeongju Historic Areas Text and photos from World Heritage in Korea Gyeongju is a marvelous city, the cradle of cal stability and economic strength. With its 1. Anapji, the Pond of Geese and Ducks, represents the precious vestiges that embody the history and doors widely open to the outside world, Silla royal gardening style of the culture of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C. - A.D. actively interacted with China and Japan and Silla Dynasty. 935), the golden age of ancient Korean civili- the Islamic world in West Asia. Gyeongju be- zation. Now a modest city with a population came an international city a millennium ago. of 280,000, the old capital of Silla sustains the At its peak in the eight century, Gyeongju vibrant spirit and aura of the millennium-long had as many as 178,936 households (some dynasty which attained a brilliant cultural 900,000 residents), suggesting that it was as flowering through the reigns of 56 kings. prosperous as Constantinople (present-day Is- Silla began as a small tribal state named Sa- tanbul) of the Byzantine (East Rome) Empire, roguk at the southeastern edge of the Korean Baghdad (present-day Iraq) of the Islam Em- pire, or Changan (Xian), the old capital of the peninsula. Yet, it overwhelmed its two stron- Tang Dynasty in China. ger rival states, Goguryeo (37 B.C. - A.D. 668) and Baekje (18 B.C. - A.D. 660), to assemble Though its glorious era has long past, Gyeong- a unified kingdom. Science, culture and the ju has not completely lost its old style and ap- arts blossomed on a foundation of politi- pearance. In spite of the sudden changes in its 4 3 2 5 1 Gyeongju 1. Mt. Nam Area 4. Hwangnyongsa Temple Area 2. Moon Fortress Area 5. Mountain Fortress Area 1 3. Great Tumuli Park Area World Heritage in Korea 9 | 10 2. A three-story stone pago- three-story stone pagoda on the ruins of Yong- soot. The roofs of temples were said to have da on the site of Yongjangsa temple on Mt. Nam. The jangsa temple stands on a natural rock instead “glittered against the sky like the Milky Way” 4.5-meter-tall pagoda has of a manmade foundation. and the lotus-crowned pagodas “stood in un- only the upper tier of the ending lines like flights of wild geese.” The pedestal and stands on a Important historic sites are found around the natural rock. city had 35 “golden mansions” of aristocrats. 3. Rock-carved Buddhist foot of Mt. Nam. They include Najeong, or Given these affluent cityscapes, the royal pal- images at Chilburam, or the “Ivy Well,” famed as the birthplace of the Hermitage of Seven Bud- aces must have been even more luxurious. dhas, in Mt. Nam founding monarch of Silla; and the site of Poseokjeong, or “Abalone Stone Pavilion,” Gyeongju has two famous palace sites — where an “abalone-shaped” water channel for Wolseong (Moon Fortress) which is also floating wine cups remains as a reminder of called Banwolseong (Half Moon Fortress), the kingdom’s tragic demise. and the Palace of Crown Prince and the ad- Moon Fortress Area: Memories of Glory jacent royal resort, Anapji (Pond of Geese over Millennium and Ducks). Large-scale building sites have recently been discovered north of Gyerim 2 3 Throughout history, only a few dynasties have (Cock Grove) and around Seongdong-dong. lasted a thousand years. Silla ruled for a mil- These impressive underground remains with urban environment due to road construction locations had a drawback: a considerable lennium from one capital, Gyeongju, which cloisters and hallways are believed to be ad- and housing development during post-war number of valuable historic sites and arti- was ideally located and carefully planned. ditional Silla palace sites. modernization, Gyeongju has preserved its facts were omitted from inscription. Among The old Gyeongju was meticulously laid out historic heritage and ambience. outstanding omissions were the three-story Great Tumuli Park Area: Enigma Beyond in square blocks that were divided by 15-me- stone pagodas on Gameunsa temple site and Description Many ancient burial mounds scattered around ter-wide lanes, equivalent to today’s four-lane the priceless artifacts housed at the Gyeongju the city center form Gyeongju’s unique cul- streets, for horse-drawn vehicles and pedestri- The numerous earthen mounds found all National Museum. tural topography. There are some 150 tombs ans.