| |
 |
|
|
|
| |
Introduction |
|
|
The
Gongju museum was established by the Gongju association
for relic preservation which had been founded in
1935. Later the association became the association
for Gongju relic protection in 1938, the Gongju
branch of the national museum in Korea, and finally
it is promoted to become the Gongju national museum
in 1975. The Sunhwa-dang which was a part of local
government building of Gongju was moved to the yard
of Gongju museum and used as a displaying place,
and the current museum building has been open in
1971 to accommodate the artifacts excavated from
the royal tomb of King Muryeong. |
| The
exhibition rooms consist of two, they are the exhibition
room 1(2nd fl) where artifacts from the royal tomb
of king Muryeong are displayed, and in the exhibition
room 2(1st fl) the artifacts discovered from Chungnam
areas are exhibited according to chronology. Notably
there is a life sized model of the royal tomb is
in the exhibition room 1 where the public can look
around. Today, the permanently exhibited major artifacts
are up to 1,000 including 19 pieces of 14 national
treasures and three pieces of three treasures. The
pagodas and Buddhist sculptures excavated in Gongju
area are displayed in the yard of the museum as
well. The Gongju museum is also conducting many
studies and excavations of relics in the area. So
far major relics excavated by the museum are such
as the Songguk-ri relic which is a principal relic
of settlement in Bronze age, Habong-ri Gongju where
the tombs of Three Kingdoms and early Baekje located,
the relic in Hwaseong-ri Cheonan, the Suchon-ri
relic which is a mud wall of Three Kingdoms era,
a mountain wall of Baekje in Wolpyeong-dong Daejeon,
and the places for ancestor worshiping ceremony
and settlement in Mt. Jeongjisan Gongju. The Gongju
national museum opens various events in different
seasons, when flowers are in full bloom in April
every year a spring flower festival for citizen
is celebrated. In May, the children in Gongju area
are invited for the fine art contest of cultural
assets, lectures of arts and crafts for mothers
and children together are open in July, and a cultural
class of museum for teachers and citizens in August
as well |
|
| |
|
Collection of Relics |
Stone beast |
 
Designation : National treasure No.162 |
| When
excavated it was laid in the center en route
of the royal tomb of king Muryeong. The stone
beast is made of tuff and its stubby mouth
is open and has a big nose but no nostrils
to be seen. A high ridge of nose extends to
the back and eyes and ears are fixed on the
right and left. Four bulges are seen on the
back and a twig shaped iron horn is placed
in the sunken-in groove before a bulge on
the head, wing shaped manes are embossed like
patterns on left and right side. Four short
legs with toenails are expressed but not clear
enough. |
|
|
| This
stone beast is a kind of Jinmyosu, Jinmyosu is an
imaginary animal in a form of grotesque body usually
placed in or before a grave to protect the deceased
from evil spirit, the belief is derived from Chinese
funeral customs. |
|
| |
Document stone for king |
|
Designation : National treasure No.163 |
| These
two document stones are rectangular stone
plate and words of Haeseoche(square-hand style
of Chinese character) are inscribed on bluish
gray colored diorite. When king Muryeong died
in 523 AD the king was buried temporarily
for 2 years and three months in preparation
for three year official funeral ceremony.
These docu- ments and land purchaser bond
were believed to be made when the king was
officially buried. Later when queen died in
526 AD a three year funeral ceremony was observed
and the queen's burial is inscribed on the
back of land purchaser bond in the form of
up-side-down in 529 AD. |
|
|
| This
document stone is not only the oldest in this country,
but with this excavation, the tomb of king Muryeong
is the only one reveals the identity of its being
royal tombs in Three Kingdoms era. Although the
content is simple it could replenish the omitted
part in the Samguksagi, and it is major clue to
study the Baekje people's philosophy as shown from
the land purchaser bond. Th- ese two stone documents
showed the clear building dates of the tomb and
the excavated artifacts become a standard material
to study the chronicle of archaeology of the Three
Kingdoms era. |
|
| |
Gold hat decoration of king and queen |
|
Designation : National treasure No.154,155 |
| The
hat decorations excavated in the king Muryeong's
tomb are 4 pieces in total and discovered as
two pieces each overlapped in pair at the area
of king and queen's head. The patterns, which
had basic motive of honeysuckle-arabesque and
flame, are completed on a thin 2 mm pure gold
plate of two pairs. This explains the fact that
the factors of Buddhism influence the making
of the hat decoration. Although the decoration
of king's hat is adorned, unbalanced to left
and right, by spangle in the front the queen's
hat decoration is balanced to left and right,
but spangle is not available. |
|
|
These
hat decorations are believed to be fixed on the right
and left or the front and rear of king's usual silk
hat and it is presumed from the records in Gudangseo(
It is written ; the king decorated a gold flower on
a black cloth hat ...... )
( Above : King's hat decoration Below : Queen's hat
decoration ) |
|
| |
Gold hairpin |
|
Designation : National treasure No.159 |
| It
is discovered on the copper mirror near the
king's head. The whole shape is similar to
a flying bird with its wings spread. Patterns
of flowers and honeysuckle-ara- besque are
inscribed on the upper part of inverted triangular
shape like bird's wings. Three-forked pin
is shaped on the lower part. This pin becomes
thinner toward the upper part as the gold
plate was spread out, cut out with chisel
and completed to make narrow line along the
rim. |
|
|
|
| |
Gold earring of king and queen |
|
Designation : National treasure No.156,157 |
| The
gold earrings worn by king Muryeong and queen
show the level of gold craftsmanship of the
time in Baekje. There are two decorations
hanging on the king's earring, a small and
big heart shaped thin gold leaves are fixed
and connected by two cylindrical accessory,
shapes of flower basket and tree leaves form
of pendant are fixed with many small loops
on the other decoration and its end is exquisitely
and magnificently decorated with gold caped
curved greenish jade. |
|
|
| In
the case of the queen's earring, hooked a small
ring on a big ring and a curved dark blue jade is
connected to the small ring. The end is completed
with looping four wings shaped decoration. Beside
this pair of rings, there is one more pair of earring
and two pairs with round decorations to the queen.
This shows how noble the queen's had been. |
|
| |
Necklace (nine pieced, seven pieced necklace) |
|
Designation : National treasure No.158 |
| Many
different kinds of necklaces were excavated
from the tomb. There are necklaces made by
cutting out or hammering around hollow gold
pieces like the queen's nine-pieced necklace
and seven necklaces. A necklace of small round
pieces connected together, necklaces made
by hooking pieces together of gold leaves,
glass jade, jade were also available. There
are cut out, like pieces of chess, and wrapped
by thin gold plate and connected together
to make accessory. |
|
|
| little
bit rising, and there still remain marks of fired
clay. We can see this type of dish among the celadons
from the Official kiln of Song Dynasty in China.
But the curved line of petals and the quality of
the glaze and clay are characteristics of Goryeo
Kingdom. |
|
| |
Royal pillow and feet rest of king and queen
|
|
Designation : National treasure No.164,165 |
| The
pillow and the feet rest are together as a
pair. A block of wood is shaped narrow at
the bottom and wider in upper top, and cut
out inside portion to make the shape of alphabet
"U" and "W" so a head
and feet can be placed. The king's and queen's
pillows and feet rest show a distinct difference
as the king's are painted with black color
and decorated by hexagonal pattern of turtle
and gold flowers. |
|
|
| The
queen's painted in red in the front, hexagonal pattern
of turtle is expressed with gold leaf, and birds,
marine dragon flying into heaven are painted. Notably,
phoenixes are placed on top of the wooden pillow
looking at each other and there is even a trace
of a steel rod once placed at the feet rest. |
|
| |
Silver bracelet |
|
Designation : National treasure No.160 |
| The
bracelet, which once worn by the queen of
king Muryeong, shows the reason why it was
made in words vertically inscribed. Feb in
520, which is 6 years before the queen died,
a craftsman called "Dari" made it
for a super noble lady who meant to be the
queen, and it is written in the bracelet. |
|
|
| "230
Jui" at the end of words inscribed is presumably
a measure of weight. Two dragons with three toes
sticking out its tongues and looking at rear are
expressed so vigorously as if they are actually
moving. A bracelet, with gorgeous pattern, records
of dates and reason for manufacturing, is hardly
discovered therefore its historical value is very
high. |
|
| |
Copper mirror |
|
Designation : National treasure No.161 |
| Originally
copper mirror belonged to the chief shaman,
but as history began and the theocracy society
transferred the ownership to the king who
was on the summit of politics. Totally 3 copper
mirrors were excavated from the king Muryeong
's tomb, two from the king and one from the
queen's chamber. From the king's mirrors Banggyeok
Gyugu Sinsumungyeong pattern and Uija Son-u
Daegyeong pattern are expressed and beast
pattern is inscribed on the queen's. |
|
|
|
| |
Big sword with ring head |
It
was discovered on the waist of the king.
A pattern of dragon is inscribed on the round
ring of the hilt, hexagonal patterns of turtle's
back, phoenix and ho- |
|
|
|
neysuckle patterns are expressed on the upper and
lower hilt. The mid part of the hilt is decorated
with densely wound gold and silver threads which
is patterned like the abdominal part of snake body.
The scabbard is made of wood and painted. The big
sword with a ring head, decorated with dragon and
phoenix, only excavated from royal tombs of Three
Kingdom era and symbolize the king's authority. |
|
|
Map of the museum |
| |
 |
|
|
Information |
|
Address |
| Joong-dong
284-1, Gongju-city Chungnam (Zip code 314-050) |
|
Tel |
| 82-41-852-7714,
82-41-854-2205 |
|
Fax |
| 82-41-856-8396
|
|
E-mail |
| Webadmin@gongju.museum.go.krn |
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
Gongju National Museum
