• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.32-53
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• 2018

The $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$(正倉院) is the detached storage building for Japanese treasures that belongs to $T{\bar{o}}dai-ji$ in Nara, Japan. The reason why $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections are drawing attention is that Japanese artifacts, sculptures, paintings, and other objects that were introduced through the Silk Road, such as Sasanian Persia and India, and those that were introduced from the Unified Silla and Tang China. In addition, hundreds of well-preserved documents of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections play an important role as a historical reference material covering not only the social situation of the time but also the history of exchange of cultural diplomacy and the change of Buddhist doctrine. In particular, some of collections of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ were made in China and may have been imported or received as gifts, but many of the artifacts made in Baekje and Unified Silla are becoming more and more important. This paper examined the research status of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ metal crafts of Korean and foreign scholars, and examined the association with the relics of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ through metal crafts excavated from the Korean Peninsula. The research on the future direction of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections should be summarized as follows. 1. Systematization of state-level support and single window for the research of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections 2. Accurate listing and database of $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections 3. The positive implementation of joint research with Japan and invitation of researchers related to $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections 4. The exchange exhibition between the Korean National Treasures and the $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections 5. Expansion of the research base through the publication and support of books related to $Sh{\bar{o}}s{\bar{o}}-in$ collections.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.96-113
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• 2016

The observation of the classic plant name 'Hwe', that is to be discussed in this thesis, must be primarily conducted in folk plant research made through old documents. Diverse information such as the characteristics, method of use, and distribution of plants is scattered in old documents. However, reviews of classic plant names should be made to use such information. This is because information on plants can only be used after thorough verifications are made of the plant names. 'Hwe' is interpreted as various meanings in Korea but it is mostly used to mean fir, old pine tree, and cypress. However, it is not known by what standards such interpretations have been made. In particular, 'Hwe' is interpreted at the discretion of the translator in classic translations, so direct quotations from these lead to further errors. Therefore, items in classic plant names must be reviewed again. Why is 'Hwe' interpreted in various ways as a plant name and according to what standards should it be interpreted? This study was conducted with these questions. Also, the significance of this study is placed in the setting of guidelines for the interpretation of 'Hwe' so that classic plant names can be properly interpreted and information on plants can be accurately secured.

• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.98
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• pp.54-77
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• 2020

Produced during the Goryeo period (718-1392), the statue of the monk Huirang Daesa at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon is almost life-size, with a height of 82.4 cm, a width of 66.6 cm at the knees, and a maximum width of 44 cm at the torso (front and back). Notably, it is the only known example of an East Asian Buddhist sculpture made from wood and dry lacquer that was formed by joining the front and back halves. However, a similar technique was used on a dry lacquer statue of the Medicine Buddha at Cheongnyangsa Temple in Bonghwa, which is estimated to date from the late Goryeo or early Joseon period. As such, this technique is thought to represent this particular time period. In an eighteenth-century travelogue about a trip to Mt. Gayasan, the author describes a sculpture that is believed to be the statue of Huirang Daesa at Haeinsa Temple, based on various unique features that closely correspond to the sculpture's current appearance. For example, the sculpture is said to have a hole in the chest and rough, knobby tendons and bones, two features that can still be seen today. Another sculpture of a Buddhist monk who was active in the western regions during the third and fourth century also has a hole in the chest, which is said to be a symbol of spiritual strength. The travelogue also states that the statue was lacquered black at the time, which means that it must have been painted with its present colors some time in the nineteenth century. Over time, the sculpture has been enshrined in various halls of Haeinsa Temple, including Haehaengdang, Jinsangjeon, and later Josajeon (Hall of the Patriarchs), and Bojangjeon. Records show that images of Buddhist monks, or "seungsang," were produced in Korea as early as the Three Kingdoms period (18 BCE-660 CE), but few of these works have survived. At present, only four such sculptures are extant, including the images of Huirang Daesa from the Goryeo period, and those of Monk Naong and Uisang Daesa from the Joseon period. Of these, the sculpture of Huirang Daesa has special significance for its early production date (i.e., CE. tenth century), outstanding production techniques, and superb artistic quality, realistically capturing both the external appearance and internal character of the subject. The tradition of producing, sanctifying, and worshipping statues of monks was prevalent not only in Korea, but also in China and Japan. However, each country developed its own preferred materials and techniques for producing these unique images. For example, while China has a large number of mummified Buddhist images (yuksinbul), Japan produced diverse images with various materials (e.g., dry lacquer, wood, clay) according to period. But despite the differences in materials and techniques, the three nations shared the same fundamental purpose of expressing and honoring the inherent spirituality of the monks.

• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.97
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• pp.87-104
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• 2020

Myogilsang on Diamond Mountain, signed and dated (2000) by Seon-u Yeong (1946-2009), is the first work by a North Korean artist to enter the collection of the National Museum of Korea (fig. 1a). The donor acquired the painting directly from the artist in Pyeongyang in 2006. In consequence, there are no issues with the painting's authenticity.This painting is the largest among all existing Korean paintings, whether contemporary or from the Joseon Dynasty, to depict this iconography (see chart 1. A Chronological List of Korean Myogilsang Paintings.) It is ink and color on paper, measures 130.2 × 56.2 centimeters, and is in a hanging scroll format. Since this essay is intended as a brief introduction of the painting and not in-depth research into it, I will simply examine the following four areas: 1. Seon-u Yeong's background; 2. The location and the traditional appellation of the rock-cut image known as Myogilsang; 3. The iconography of the image; and 4) A comparative analysis of Seon-u Yeong's painting in light of other paintings on the same theme. Finally, I will present two more of his works to broaden the understanding of Seon-u Yeong as a painter. 1. Seon-u Yeong: According to the donor, who met Seon-u at his workshop in the Cheollima Jejakso (Flying Horse Workshop) three years before the artist's death, he was an individual of few words but displayed a firm commitment to art. His preference for subjects such as Korean landscapes rather than motifs of socialist realism such as revolutionary leaders is demonstrated by the fact that, relative to his North Korean contemporaries, he seems to have produced more paintings of the former. In recent years, Seon-u Yeong has been well publicized in Korea through three special exhibitions (2012 through 2019). He graduated from Pyeongyang College of Fine Arts in 1969 and joined the Central Fine Arts Production Workshop focusing on oil painting. In 1973 he entered the Joseon Painting Production Workshop and began creating traditional Korean paintings in ink and color. His paintings are characterized by intense colors and fine details. The fact that his mother was an accomplished embroidery specialist may have influenced on Seon-u's choice to use intense colors in his paintings. By 1992, he had become a painter representing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with several titles such as Artist of Merit, People's Artist, and more. About 60 of his paintings have been designated as National Treasures of the DPRK. 2. The Myogilsang rock-cut image is located in the Manpok-dong Valley in the inner Geumgangsan Mountain area. It is a high-relief image about 15 meters tall cut into a niche under 40 meters of a rock cliff. It is the largest of all the rock-cut images of the Goryeo period. This image is often known as "Mahayeon Myogilsang," Mahayeon (Mahayana) being the name of a small temple deep in the Manpokdong Valley (See fig. 3a & 3b). On the right side of the image, there is an intaglio inscription of three Chinese characters by the famous scholar-official and calligrapher Yun Sa-guk (1728-1709) reading "妙吉祥"myogilsang (fig. 4a, 4b). 3. The iconography: "Myogilsang" is another name for the Bhodhisattva Mañjuśrī. The Chinese pronunciation of Myogilsang is "miaojixiang," which is similar in pronunciation to Mañjuśrī. Therefore, we can suggest a 妙吉祥 ↔ Mañjuśrī formula for the translation and transliteration of the term. Even though the image was given a traditional name, the mudra presented by the two hands in the image calls for a closer examination. They show the making of a circle by joining the thumb with the ring finger (fig. 6). If the left land pointed downward, this mudra would conventionally be considered "lower class: lower life," one of the nine mudras of the Amitabha. However, in this image the left hand is placed across its abdomen at an almost 90-degree angle to the right hand (fig. 6). This can be interpreted as a combination of the "fear not" and the "preaching" mudras (see note 10, D. Saunders). I was also advised by the noted Buddhist art specialist Professor Kim Jeong-heui (of Won'gwang University) to presume that this is the "preaching" mudra. Therefore, I have tentatively concluded that this Myogilsang is an image of the Shakyamuni offering the preaching mudra. There is no such combination of hand gestures in any other Goryeo-period images. The closest I could identify is the Beopjusa Rock-cut Buddha (fig. 7) from around the same time. 4. Comparative analysis: As seen in , except for the two contemporary paintings, all others on this chart are in ink or ink and light color. Also, none of them included the fact that the image is under a 40-meter cliff. In addition, the Joseon-period paintings all depicted the rock-cut image as if it were a human figure, using soft brushstrokes and rounded forms. None of these paintings accurately rendered the mudra from the image as did Seon-u. Only his painting depicts the natural setting of the image under the cliff along with a realistic rendering of the image. However, by painting the tall cliff in dark green and by eliminating elements on either side of the rock-cut image, the artist was able to create an almost surreal atmosphere surrounding the image. Herein lies the uniqueness of Seon-u Yeong's version. The left side of Seon-u's 2007 work Mount Geumgang (fig. 8) lives up to his reputation as a painter who depicts forms (rocks in this case) in minute detail, but in the right half of the composition it also shows his skill at presenting a sense of space. In contrast, Wave (fig. 9), a work completed one year before his death, displays his faithfulness to the traditions of ink painting. Even based on only three paintings by Seon-u Yeong, it seems possible to assess his versatility in both traditional ink and color mediums.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.84-107
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• 2018

Cheommojik is a pile cloth, a type of textile whose surface is covered with short piles. The term chaedam was used during the late Joseon dynasty to refer to pile cloth rugs, while the terms yoongjeon, dantong and yangtanja were used in the early twentieth century. Various documents, newspaper articles and photographs confirm that pile cloth rugs were used by the general public as well as the royal family from the late Joseon dynasty onward, and that there were domestic manufacturers of such rugs at that time. This study investigated six pile cloth rugs that were produced after the late Joseon dynasty, five of which feature Persian knots made of cut pile, the other being made with the loop pile method. The cut pile rugs are rectangular in shape and measure between 72-98cm by 150-156cm; and they are decorated in the middle with patterns of butterfly, deer, and tiger or the ten longevity symbols, and along the edges with patterns composed of 卍 symbols. The ground warp of all six rugs are made from cotton yarn, while the ground weft is made of cotton yarn on three pieces, wool on one piece and cotton and viscose rayon. The ground weft yarn from four pieces are Z-twist yarn made with two or more S-twist cotton yarn. Four to six colors were used for the pile weft, all being natural colors except for red. Two or more S- or Z-twist yarn were twisted together in the opposite twist for the pile weft, with the thickness determining the number of threads used. Six or more weft threads were used to make the start and end points of the rug; and the ground warp ends were arranged by tying every four of them together. For the left and right edges, three or more threads were wrapped together into a round stick-like form, and the second and third inner ground warps from the edges were stitched on to the wrapped edge. For the loop pile, loops were made in the direction of the warp; the ground warp and the ground weft may have been made with cotton, the pile warp with wool yarn. An analysis of the components of three rugs was conducted to determine which types of animal hair were used for the pile weft. Despite some inconclusive results, it was revealed that goat hair and fat-tailed sheep hair were used, raising the possibility that various kinds of animal fur were used in the production of pile cloth rugs. The six rugs examined in this study are estimated to have been made between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Although the manufacturer of the rugs cannot be confirmed, we concluded that the rugs were produced in Korea after referring to the documentation of the domestic production of pile cloth rugs during the aforementioned period and the form and placements of the patterns on the rugs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.41-66
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• 2002

This paper examines urgent issues of establishing the presidential library in relation to the current standing of the Government Archives and Records Service. As government records have been tremendously accumulated every year, the Government Archives and Records Service will be full within three years, which indicates that the constructing of new storage repositories is an emergent issue. In addition, presidential records are one of the most significant and influential public properties for preserving historical value and interpretation at the national level. Some serious concerns relating to the presidential library are raised for consideration. First of all, it is compulsory to preserve presidential records and to construct the presidential library. Second, the presidential library performs a variety of functions including the acquisition, preservation, access, reference, research, education, and display of presidential records as well as exhibits of public activities and administration personally and in public during the president' regime. A new presidential library should function as both of a depository and museum of presidential records through systematic arrangement and display. Thus a new repository of the Government Archives and Records Service should be co-constructed with the presidential library within the same boundary. Third, a newly constructed presidential library should be at least double- or triple- sized more than estimated in order to contain all related holdings. Fourth, to take custody of public records across the legislature, judiciary and administration, the Government Archives and Records Service should be directed by an official at the level of vice-minister and upgraded to an independent office such as "National Archives and Records Administration." Fifth, the presidential library's location and surrounding environments should be selected with careful planning.