• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.26
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• pp.161-182
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• 2021

A jungwangu, a type of medium-sized mortar, is a firearm with a barrel and a bowl-shaped projectileloading component. A bigyeokjincheonroe (bombshell) or a danseok (stone ball) could be used as a projectile. According to the Hwaposik eonhae (Korean Translation of the Method of Production and Use of Artillery, 1635) by Yi Seo, mortars were classified into four types according to its size: large, medium, small, or extra-small. A total of three mortars from the Joseon period have survived, including one large mortar (Treasure No. 857) and two medium versions (Treasure Nos. 858 and 859). In this study, the production method for medium mortars was investigated based on scientific analysis of the two extant medium mortars, respectively housed in the Jinju National Museum (Treasure No. 858) and the Korea Naval Academy Museum (Treasure No. 859). Since only two medium mortars remain in Korea, detailed specifications were compared between them based on precise 3D scanning information of the items, and the measurements were compared with the figures in relevant records from the period. According to the investigation, the two mortars showed only a minute difference in overall size but their weight differed by 5,507 grams. In particular, the location of the wick hole and the length of the handle were distinct. The extant medium mortars are highly similar to the specifications listed in the Hwaposik eonhae. The composition of the medium mortars was analyzed and compared with other bronze gunpowder weapons. The surface composition analysis showed that the medium mortars were made of a ternary alloy of Cu-Sn-Pb with average respective proportions of (wt%) 85.24, 10.16, and 2.98. The material composition of the medium mortars was very similar to the average composition of the small gun from the Joseon period analyzed in previous research. It also showed a similarity with that of bronze gun-metal from medieval Europe. The casting technique was investigated based on a casting defect on the surface and the CT image. Judging by the mold line on the side, it appears that they were made in a piece-mold wherein the mold was halved and using a vertical design with molten metal poured through the end of the chamber and the muzzle was at the bottom. Chaplets, an auxiliary device that fixed the mold and the core to the barrel wall, were identified, which may have been applied to maintain the uniformity of the barrel wall. While the two medium mortars (Treasure Nos. 858 and 859) are highly similar to each other in appearance, considering the difference in the arrangement of the chaplets between the two items it is likely that a different mold design was used for each item.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.94-108
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• 2023

Onyanghaenggung Palace(temporary palace at Onyang) is an important cultural heritage that can substantially confirm the king's onhaeng(溫行) base on literature records such as <Ongungyeonggoedae(溫宮靈槐臺)>, <Oncheonhaenggungdo(溫泉行宮圖)> of 『Ongungsasil(溫宮事實)』『, Younggoedaegi(靈槐臺記)』and cultural property such as Yeonggoedae(靈槐臺) and Shinjeong Monument(神井碑). As the Onyang Tourist Hotel is located in the presumed site of the Onyanghaenggung Palace, even the identity of the Onyanghaenggung Palace site is being threatened without restoration efforts. The purpose of this study is to estimate the location of Onyanghaenggung Palace based on <Oncheonhaenggungdo> before the damages during the Japanese colonial period. To achieve these purposes, records related to Onhaeng during successive kings' terms in the Joseon Dynasty are first reviewed, before changes in the architecture of Onyanghaenggung Palace that took place in the Joseon Dynasty and damage suffered during the Japanese colonial period are summarized, and finally <Oncheonhaenggungdo>, <Eupji>, <Ancient Maps>, <Jijeokwondo> are reviewed. Based on these processes, the location of Onyanghaenggung Palace is estimated by comparing the current Onyang Tourist Hotel and the surrounding area. The results of this study are as follows. First, if the 1,758 cheok(尺) of 「Onyanggun eupji」 and 「Hoseo eupji」 are converted in Jucheok(周尺), the scope of Onyanghaenggung Palace is close to the inner circumference of the site(垈) in Jijeokwondo(1914). Second, the streamlet leading to Oncheoncheon(溫泉川) from the southern side of Onyanggwan(溫陽館), the hot spring hole in use of <Distribution Map of Hot Spring(溫泉分布見取圖)>(1925, 1928), and considering the relationship of the inner east gate(內東門), Bigak(碑閣), Sinjeong(神井) of <Oncheonhaenggungdo>, the building of Hermann Gustav Theodor Sander and the Copyright Commission's Onyang Hot Springs photograph can be estimated as the Onyanghaenggung Palace Hot-spring, namely Tangsil(湯室). Third, in the process of developing to amusement park, the transfer and relocation of the Yeonggaedae site(a governmentowned property) was requested by Gyeongnam Railway Company, but Chungcheongnam-do denied transfer and relocation of the Yeonggaedae because of the importance in the history of Onyang Hot Springs, so the government-owned Yeonggaedae Monument site were permanently preserved at the current location together with the hoe tree(Sophora japonica L.). Also, Yeonggoedae in <Tourists Attractions around Gyeongnam Railway in Joseon (朝鮮京南鐵道沿線名所交通図絵)> (1929) is shown to exist in its current location, and it can be seen that the Shinjeong Monument Pavilion was moved to the front of Shinjeonggwan (神井館). Based on the circumference of Onyanghaenggung Palace, the location of Onyanghaenggung Palace Hot Spring (Tangsil) and Yeonggaedae Monument Pavilion, changes in roads and lots of land during the Japanese colonial period and the modern period, as well as the location of Onyanghaenggung Palace and other major buildings, can be estimated to extend to the current Shimin-ro and Onyang Hot Spring Market.