• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.47
• /
• pp.1-37
• /
• 2023

This essay seeks to answer the question of how best to understand Korean new religious movements (KNRMs). KNRMs have the characteristics of folk religion, ethno-religion, or popular religion. KNRMs are products of the national consciousness promoted by Korean society during the Late Joseon Dynasty at the turning point of modern Yi-Jing Studies. From the perspective of social evolutionary theory of developmental history, during that period, Joseon (Korea), like China, was faced with a double-edged sword consisting of the strength of tradition and the upheaval of modernity. If the strength of tradition depended on the Yi-Jing Studies to promote national enlightenment toward anti-imperialist aims, then it was equally the case that modernity depended on the sense of urgency to guide the people to secure livelihoods and edification regarding anti-feudalism. In this essay, the KNRMs that appeared during this transition period of Yi-Jing Studies will be a significant focus, and the worldview of Daesoon Thought will be the main focus. As one of the central topics, intensive discussion will be dedicated to the issue of the nature of pre-experientialism (先驗主義) which characterized the Great Opening (開闢). The principles of Daesoon Thought have a religious dimension of realistic awareness that guides the people's lives and edifies them. The process of the Great Opening aims to secure an ontological clock that tracks the Great Itineration of the world toward Daesoon Truth. This in turn as a process establishes the epistemological world of the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth (天地公事) and reaches the axiological boundary of the future world. The links among the Three Realms is characterized by a pre-experientialist line that experiences the space-time nature of the universe as the Great Opening of the Later World (後天) within the framework of Heaven and Earth. Throughout this course, humans look to enjoy the infinite vitality of the universe from within their own finite vitality. Therefore, Daesoon Thought can overcome perceived reality through pre-experientialist channels such as the Great Opening of the Later World and aim for a state of self-awareness such as the Earthly Paradise. This is an attempt to participate and practice in the actual world rather than pursuing a world of transcendental ideas, and therefore, it tends to be proactive in the world rather than exhibit a passive tendency to be worldliness. In conclusion, the truth of Daesoon Thought, which is characterized by the Great Opening of the Later World, contains a future-oriented outlook that longs for a Nextopia full of hope and promise rather than idealistic fancy towards a Utopia or well-founded dread and disdain towards Dystopia.

• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
• /
• v.1
• /
• pp.258-277
• /
• 2024

Kings of the Joseon Dynasty composed poems exploring their thinking about the governance of the country or personal feelings. Kings Taejong (r. 1400-1418), Seongjong (r. 1469-1494), Yeongjo (r. 1724-1776), and other kings bestowed poems upon their officials and had them compose response poems using rhyming words. Such literary exchanges between sovereign and subject were called gaengjin. The vast body of surviving materials related to gaengjin includes chronological materials recording the words and acts of kings, Yeolseong oeje compiling writings by Joseon kings, the so-called gaengjin albums that kings specially produced to commemorate officials' composition of response poems, and literary collections by officials who took part in the composition of response poems. Gaengjin albums were produced immediately after the king's bestowal of a poem and the officials' composition of response poems. They provide diverse information about the background, content, and participants of literary exchanges. Many of these albums are held in the collection of the National Museum of Korea, Gyujanggak Archives at Seoul National University, and Jangseogak Archives of the Academy of Korean Studies. A majority of the extant gaengjin albums were produced during the reign of King Yeongjo. This paper analyzed chronological materials on the gaengjin literary exchanges that were officially conducted 200 times during the fifty-two-year reign of King Yeongjo. It also explored the drastic increase in gaengjin literary exchanges between 1769 (the forty-fifth year of the reign of King Yeongjo) and 1776 (the fifty-second year of the reign of King Yeongjo), the period corresponding to King Yeongjo's latter years. The paper introduced sixteen items (albums, books, hanging boards, and folding screens) related to the gaengjin literary exchanges held in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries from the collection of the National Museum of Korea. Among them, it shed light on the production backgrounds, contents, and characteristics of the eight gaengjin albums produced during the reign of King Yeongjo. The materials related to the gaengjin literary exchanges created during the reign of King Yeongjo are valuable in that they improve the understanding of various aspects of the respective period, including joyous events of the state (or royal court), the administration of state affairs, and literary activities among the sovereign and subjects.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.150-169
• /
• 2020

Surveys of Buddhist ruins at Namsan in Gyeongju began in earnest during the Japanese colonial era, undertaken by Japanese scholars. These surveys of Buddhist remains in Namsan made during the colonial period should be seen as previous research which cannot be ignored in any in-depth study of Buddhist ruins in Gyeongju. Full-scale surveys of Buddhist ruins at Namsan began in the 1920s. Previous surveys conducted around the time of the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 are generally viewed as only representing preliminary investigations and, thus, have not received much attention. However, these early surveys are significant in that they led to the Buddhist ruins on Namsan becoming widely known in the 1910s and served as the foundations for later studies. The removal of the Seated Medicine Buddha from Samneung Valley in Gyeongju in 1915 and its subsequent exhibition at the Joseon Local Products Expo, which marked the fifth anniversary of the Japanese administration of Korea, was especially important in garnering attention for Namsan's wealth of Buddhist artifacts, as the statue was placed in the main hall of the art museum and attracted a great deal of interest from visitors. It is typically thought that this Seated Medicine Buddha was exhibited in 1915 because it was the most beautiful and well-preserved statue from Namsan. However, the removal of this statue was closely related to the proposed move of the Seokguram statue to Seoul around the time of Korea's annexation. The plan to move Seokguram to Seoul was primarily devised by Terauchi Masatake, and the plan, based on Ilseontongjo-ron ('日鮮同祖論'), a historical theory that prehistoric Korean and Japanese people were of the same blood, and Joseon Jeongcheasoeng-ron ('朝鮮停滯性論'), a historical theory arguing that development had stagnated in Korea, was intended to be a visual demonstration of a new era for Korea. This new era was to proceed under the rule of the Japanese Empire through the dissolution of Gyeongbokgung, the symbol of the Joseon Dynasty, which would be replaced with past glories as symbolized by the statue of Buddha. However, as the plan floundered, the replacement for Seokguram in Seoul ended up being none other than the Seated Medicine Buddha of Samneung Valley. Surveys of the Seated Medicine Buddha began in 1911, administered by Sekino Tadashi, but he likely learned of the statue's location from Moroga Hideo or Kodaira Ryozo, Japanese residents of Gyeongju. It is also probable that these Japanese residents received a request from the Japanese Government General of Korea to find a Buddha statue that was worthy of being displayed at exhibitions. In this way, we can say that the transfer of the Seated Medicine Buddha to Seoul was the result of close cooperation between the Government General, Sekino Tadashi, and Japanese residents of Gyeongju. This also had the effect of removing the magical veil which had shrouded the Buddhist ruins of Namsan. In other words, while the early surveys of Buddhist ruins on Namsan are significant, it is difficult to argue that the surveys were undertaken for purely academic purposes, as they were deeply related to the imperial ambitions of Governor-General Terauchi which encompassed the plans to move Seokguram to Seoul and the successful hosting of the 1915 Expo. It should also be pointed out that the failure of the plan to move Seokguram to Seoul and the preservation of the Seated Stone Buddha of Mireuggok at Namsan was in no small part due to resistance from Korean residents in Gyeongju. Although it is not described in detail in the paper, research is needed which shows that the Korean residents of Gyeongju were not simple bystanders, but agents of history.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.273-291
• /
• 2016

Some ceramic artifacts representing time-wise from comb pattern pottery in the Neolithic Age to white porcelain in Joseon Dynasty were selected from 7 sites in the north and south area of Charyeong Mountain Range in order to making techniques interpretation and development process of ancient ceramics through physicochemical and mineralogical quantitative analysis. Studied pottery samples in the Prehistoric times showed trace of ring piling in soft-type, and pottery in the Three Kingdoms Period had both soft and hard-type but kettle-ware and storage-ware were made with ring piling, but table-ware was made by wheel spinning. Different from pottery after the Three Kingdom Period when refinement of source clay was high, pottery in the Neolithic Age and in the Bronze Age exhibited highly mineral content in sandy source clay, which showed a lot of larger temper than source clay. Groundmass of celadon and white porcelain almost did not reveal primary minerals but had high content of minerals by high temperature firing. Ceramic samples showed some different in major and minor elements according to sites irrespective of times. Geochemical behaviors are very similar indicating similar basic characteristics of source clay. However, loss-on-ignition showed 0.01 to 12.59wt.% range with a large deviation but it rapidly decreased moving from the Prehistoric times to the Three Kingdom Period. They have correlation with the weight loss due to firings, according to burning degree of source clay and detection of high temperature minerals, estimated firing temperatures are classified into 5 groups. Pottery in the Neolithic Age and in the Bronze Age belongs from 750 to $850^{\circ}C$ group; pottery in the Three Kingdom Period are variously found in 750 to $1,100^{\circ}C$ range of firing temperature; and it is believed celadon and white porcelain were baked in high temperature of 1,150 to $1,250^{\circ}C$. It seems difference between refinement of source clay and firing temperature based on production times resulted from change in raw material supply and firing method pursuant to development of production skill. However, there was difference in production methods even at the same period and it is thought that they were utilized according to use purpose and needs instead of evolved development simply to one direction.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.1-16
• /
• 2014

Sambok (三伏, Three Hottest Days) is the common designation of Chobok (初伏, Early Hot Day), Jungbok (中伏, Middle Hot Day), and Malbok (末伏, Late Hot Day), and widely known to be one of the Korean folk customs. Hence, Sambok is notated in Manseryeok (Ten Thousand-Year Almanac) and in the annual astronomical almanac published by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. In this paper, we investigate the changes of Sambok in Korea based on various documents such as Joseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄, Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), Jeungbo-Jakryeoksik (增補作曆式, The Supplement of Manual for Calendar Making), astronomical almanacs, and so forth. According to Jeungbo-Jakryeoksik preserved in Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Chobok and Jungbok are defined as the third and fourth Gyeongil (庚日, The Day Starting with the Seventh Heavenly Stems in Sexagenary Cycles Assigned to Each Day) after the summer solstice, respectively, and Malbok is the first Gyeongil after Ipchu (Enthronement of Autumn). However, if the summer solstice is Gyeongil, then the third Gyeongil counting from the solstice becomes Chobok. Malbok depends on the time of Ipchu. Ipchu itself becomes Malbok if the time of Ipchu is in the morning, or next Gyeongil becomes Malbok if it is the afternoon. On the other hand, Malbok is defined as Ipchu itself regardless of its time according to Chiljeongbobeob (七政步法, Calculating Method for Sun, Moon, and Five Planets), Chubocheobryeo (推步捷例, Quick Examples for Calendrical Calculations), and so on. To verify the methods used to determine Sambok, we examined the record in the extant almanacs during the period of 1392 to 2100 for which the summer solstice or Ipchu is Gyeongil. As a result, we found a periodicity that if the time of Ipchu is in the morning, in general, the time is in the afternoon after two years and then is back into in the morning after nineteen years, i.e., the 2 + 19 years periodicity. However, we found the 2 + 17 years periodicity in some years. We also found that the Chobok method of Jeungbo-Jakryeoksik has been used since 1712, the thirty-eighth reign of King Sukjong (肅宗). In addition, we supposed that Malbok had been determined by the method like Chubocheobryeo since either 1846, the twelfth reign of King Heonjong (憲宗), or 1867, the fourth reign of King Gojong (高宗). At present, these methods of Sambok are customarily used without any legal basis. We, therefore, think that this study will help conventionalize the method defining Sambok in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.9
• /
• pp.84-91
• /
• 2017

This study examined the routes, periods, and characteristics of Hamkyung-Gamsa's Sulryeok(巡歷) and his major duties during the Sulryeok. For this purpose, all hitherto known Hamkyung-Gamsa's official diaries, such as "Gwanbukilgi(關北日記)", "Sunryeokilrok(巡歷日錄)" and 'Buksunilgi(北巡日記)', 'Bukhaengilrok(北行日錄)' of "Dongbukansarok(東北按使錄)", were investigated closely. The main results of this study are as follows. 1) The Hamkyung-Gamsa's Sulryeok routes almost took the Gyeongheungro, which was one of the six main roads in the Joseon dynasty. The use of this road as the Sulryeok route was attributed to the rough terrain. 2) The Sulryeok routes were divided into two ways: the north and south routes centering on HamheungGamyoung. As Hamheung is located in the southern part of Hamgyeong-do, the northern Sulryeok route, which reached the downstream side of the Tuman River and border defense facilities, was long and took a long period of time. 3) Hamkyung-Gamsa's major duties during the northern Sulryeok route were to check the border defense facilities and hold literary and archery contests and special state examinations, especially in Gilju. His major duties during the southern Sulryeok route were to inspect and maintain the royal tombs and historical landmarks, such as Junwonjeon, Sukreung, Jireung. 4) Sometimes the routes of Hamkyung-Gamsa's Sulryeok included some sightseeing spots, which were famous for ten scenic spots of Bukgwan.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.255-265
• /
• 2015

In this study, the potash glass beads of 281 samples in 30 sites analyzed until now were classified according to the chemical composition. And the color, size, manufacturing technique and distribution period were compared. Korea potash glass beads are divided into 3 types depending on the stabilizer content. I, II type is the CaO and $Al_2O_3$ content of less than 5%. Relatively, I type has a high CaO and II type has a high $Al_2O_3$. In contrast, III type comprises more than CaO 5%. I, II type is the saltpetre, III type is estimated using plant ash as row material of flux. A review of the properties by type, I type is cobalt blue, copper blue and purple beads. The outer diameter is sized to the range 1.4~7.4mm. Also it was produced by the drawing technique. It was used continuously from BC 1C until around AD 6C. On the other hand, II type is outer diameter of 1.9~3.6mm and a copper blue beads. manufacturing technique is the same as the I type. This seems to have been in use since around AD 1C to 4C. Finally, III type is brown, colorless, amber beads and an outer diameter of about 10mm. It was formed by winding technique and appeared in the tombs of Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty. As a result, 3 types of potash glass beads distributed in Korea is likely to flowing through the various trade routes from different provenances.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.12-19
• /
• 2017

Yellow-hearted pine (YHP; Pinus densiflora for. erecta Uyeki) is one of the Red pine species and has extremely narrow growth ring and high ratio of heartwood growing in Korea. It has been used for valuable wooden constructions as palace and temple for royal family since the Joseon Dynasty period. However, scientific information on the wood properties of YHP is still very lacking. This study was carried out to investigate natural durability of YHP to fungi and termites attack. Examination of anti-fungal and anti-termite properties of YHP was performed at indoor condition using brown-rot fungi (Fomitopsis palustris), white-rot fungi (Trametes versicolor), and termite (Reticulitermes speratus). The results showed that weight loss of the heartwood in YHP after fungi and termite test was much lower than those of the sapwood in YHP. Furthermore, the highest mortality of termite was obtained from the heartwood of YHP. Consequently, it is clearly revealed that the heartwood of YHP has excellent durability against brown- and white-rot fungi and termite.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.11 no.12
• /
• pp.674-681
• /
• 2011

'The Three Bonds And The Morals in Human Relations' was published in Joseon Dynasty period in 1434, relatively early days of comic history in the world. The gaps between comics frames have symbolic meaning as comics frames have in the area of symbols of comics. After comics frames appeared, it was likely that the advent of the gaps between frames had its own value in the aspect of comics history. Historical backgrounds of domestic comics would be built on firm base led by studying on the symbolic meaning of the gaps between comics frames. Two forms of the gaps between frames were shown in 'The Three Bonds And The Morals in Human Relations.' The first form is the gap between cloud frames. The second is the gap between cloud frame and background frame. Although a little difference is found in the shape and display, two forms of the gaps between frames in 'The Three Bonds And The Morals in Human Relations' have a similarity to modern comics. This study is to demonstrate valid background for the domestic history of comics by means of analyzing the shapes of the gap between comics frames in 'The Three Bonds And The Morals in Human Relations.' The objective of this study is to prove the meaning of the shapes of the gaps between comics frames 'The Three Bonds And The Morals in Human Relations', focusing the gaps between frames among symbols of comics.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.18 no.7
• /
• pp.560-576
• /
• 2018

Plato's ontology is closer to Holism, which is based on IDEA, than to Dualism, which regards the matter and soul as being independently from each other. According to his metaphysics, the sensory things are the copies of IDEA. and IDEA is the original of them. Hence human body and soul are not separate from each other, but are ontologically continuous and functionally complementary. The reason why Plato's view of education, which pursues the perfection of the soul, emphasizes the physical training and makes it the premise of study is this ontology. It seems that Park Eun-sik, an independent activist in the late period of Joseon Dynasty, has a view of education similar to Plato's. He emphasized the importance of education on martial art in order to restore the our people's inner quality, 'Mind(心)'. Both Plato and Park Eun-sik thoughts that the education of physical training and martial art was the premise of study to make the humanity they pursued. And they expected that the talented people raised through the curriculum proposed by them would lead the prosperity of the nation by fulfilling their respective roles in society. In conclusion, from the view of Plato and Park Eun-sik's thoughts, it can be said that, the education of physical training and martial art for students is the premise of the study for personal perfection of human beings, and essential curriculum for making the ideal state that they dreamed.