Ballet: The Taming of the Shrew

Shakespeare's comic "The Taming of the Shrew" is a provocative gender satire, and the Korean National Ballet did a splendid job putting it into choreography.

As the story goes, two sisters -- one older and a man-hater and one younger and an amorous flirt -- were old enough to be married, but in Padua, Italy the older one needs to marry first or "dance barefoot at her sister's wedding". The older one was definitely a shrew. Three young men were in pursuit of the flirt, but all avoided the shrew, and yet the father wanted the older one married first. By chance the three men met an adventurer-traveler in an inn and told him of their plight. The adventurer was all for the dowry that would come with the shrew and determined to marry her ... but he also determined to woo her so she would want to marry him, and as men dreamed, have her be subservient to him. The wooing began after she was forced into marriage with him. He gave her the choice of riding the donkey to his home ... or walking with her delicate feet; she rode, and he kissed her. He gave her no food, because as he said, it was spoiled and he was saving her indigestion; he secretly ate but she didn't but he kissed her. The next morning he allowed her to eat, but on his terms, and she was so hungry she acquiesced, but first he kissed her. And so he tamed her, kissing her always when she fussed; his kisses were her reward for agreeing to his way of thinking. Eventually when they returned to the sister's wedding, she was tamed and obedient and oh so very loving, while all the other women were conniving and disagreeable in their relationships to their husbands. And so Shakespeare's merry tale of woo and taming lauded men and made women all look shrewish ... unless of course they became meek and mild and submissive after marriage.

Probably my favorite musical is "Kiss Me, Kate", which is the modern version of "The Taming of the Shrew", and this ballet very much followed he story-line of "Kiss Me, Kate"!

I love ballet performances and so when I saw this particular ballet scheduled, I knew I had to see it. However, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Ballets that includes majestic leaps, graceful spins and floating footsteps are exhilarating to watch, and of course this ballet did have some of those features, but it was more of an miming performance rather than a dance, and the mime was vaudeville style ... and I really dislike vaudeville. The target audience of this performance was clearly kids, for their entertainment. The deep story and twisting Shakespearean comic-humor was replaced with the cutesy, which of course Korea being a cutesy culture, was much enjoyed by the larger audience. Felt a bit let down after the vaudeville, uh, I should say ballet. Serious or thought-provoking performances are what fuel my brain, but really I can't complain. I only paid W5,000 for the ticket and I certainly got a lot of entertainment for my money! And if I ignore the silly and exaggerated actions of vaudeville, I can say that I really did enjoy this performance and had quite an entertaining evening.

Magnolia Excursion: Chollipo Arboretum

Ferris Miller, a Pennsylvanian who came to South Korea with the US Navy in 1945, fell in love with the country and its people. The job was rather short-lived and he returned to Korea in 1947 again as a linguist (Japanese) to translate and summarize documents dealing with property ownership claims resulting from the Japanese Occupation. The job ended in 1948 and back to the States he went, but again he returned in 1949 with a US Government agency job with ECA, the forerunner of today's AID. However, with the invasion of the North, Miller along with all embassy staff was evacuated to Japan on June 27th, 1950 though coming back to Pusan during the days of the "Pusan perimeter". A few months later he was struck with hepatitis and had to be evacuated to Japan and due to slow recovery sent back to the US, whereupon he learned that the ECA was closing down in Korea and wanted to send him to Taiwan.

This was not suitable to him, so he resigned and in 1951 returned once again to Korea to work for the army as a civilian. When a friend fell ill, Miller was assigned to replace him at the Bank of Korea where, in 1953, he was asked to work directly for the bank, and Miller became the first and only foreigner to work directly for the Bank of Korea [since 2000 this may not apply]. And for the next 30 years, until 1982, Miller worked as translator and writer for the Bank until his retirement. After retirement, filled with energy and alertness he refused the office with a chair at the Bank of Korea that he was entitled to go to every day and began work as a consultant for securities and brokerages ... but his passion was his magnolias.

Ferris Miller became one of the world's greatest magnolia collectors, a passion he indulged with unbridled joy and huge personal expense. It all started with a 1962 swimming trip to the western shoreline in one of his many getaway from Seoul attempts. Continually offered land by a cash-poor, land-rich villager, he bought a barren plot on Mallipo Beach near the fishing village of Chollipo in the Taean Peninsula. The land sat idle until 1970, when, disgusted by Seoul's worsening air pollution, he moved his traditional Korean house from Seoul to this fishing village retreat and began planting trees on the barren hills to create a wind-break. 

In 1971, Miller set up his arboretum and he became the head of his foundation funded entirely by himself. By 1971 he had a staff of 13, including his foster son, Song Chinsu, who he tried to adopt but due to the Korean legal system of adopting a male failed. His foster son became the manager and his "grandson", Song Chong-gun, was the apple of his eye. By four years of age, his little grandson could recite many of the estate species -- magnolias, forsythias, azaleas, cherry blossoms, camellias, etc -- using both their Korean and Latin names.

In 1979, Carl Ferris Miller who had been using the Korean name Min Pyong-gal for convenience, became a naturalized Korean citizen and his Korean name legalized. Miller made the name himself based on pronunciation similarities. Min is a Korean name as similar to Miller as he could get; it was also the name of a close friend. Gal sounds a lot like Carl, but the choice of Pyong is unclear. Citizenship is more than just having a Korean name; it is also about having a history, so when he went to apply for citizenship, a clerk asked him what his clan was. He replied, "I am a Pennsylvania man," but the clerk insisted there was no such thing, and since all Mins come from Yohung, Min Pyong-gal was likewise registered as a Yohung Min. 

Until his death on April 8, 2002 at the age of 81, Miller aka Min had the self-appointed mission of gathering magnolias, particularly rare mountain varieties, in his arboretum. His aim was to save the plant heritage of his adopted country for future generations. The amateur collector, Carl Ferris Miller, became one of the world's greatest magnolia collectors and his estate, which grew as other villagers sold a small plot here and a small plot there, became a magnolia legend containing more than 13,200 different varieties of plant species, including 380 kinds of magnolias, making it one of the most extensive magnolia collections in the world. Before he died, he donated the 140-acre arboretum in which he had invested over 100 billion won. 

Posthumously, Miller received the highly esteemed Gold Tower merit by then-president Kim Dae-jung. It is the highest order a Korean civilian may receive and given in recognition of exemplary contribution to the development of industry and national economy. His wish was for the arboretum to live on after his death, and before he died he even said, "After I pass away, plant one more tree rather than setting aside a piece of land for my tomb." 

On the 10th anniversary after his death, the Chollipo Arboretum honored him with a memorial service and his cremated remains were buried under a raspberry fun tree [sic?], a magnolia and a loegneri hybrid that yields pink flowers. After dedicating his life to the continuation of the Korean horticulture, he symbolically gives his remains to their continued perpetuation. 

In celebration of Miller's great legacy to Korea, personal friend and former journalist Lim Junsu wrote and illustrated the book "I Am Sorry, Trees", the first biography about Miller and one that expresses Miller's love for trees. It is a remembrance of Miller's life and work contribution.

Miller selflessly gave his billions for the perpetuation of Korean horticulture. Similarly, Miller would be please to know that in 2012 Song Chang-geun, Korean philanthropist, who owned and managed 1,636 acres of forest land that has been part of the family estate for decades has donated it to the Korean Forest Service so it will remain in a natural state. His action is a statement for the prevention of land destruction through reckless development. Like Miller, Song Chang-geun planted trees, and since 2006 had planted more than 2 million trees. The donated land was valued at US$85 million. 

Unjusa: Temple of 1000 Pagodas & 1000 Buddhas

This historically mysterious temple, Unjusa, is located about 40km from Gwangju and is about 10km from the famous UNESCO dolmen open-air treasure arena in Hwasun county. (Dolmen are densely located in Gocheong and on Ganghwa island as well.) The temple itself of Unjusa has been rebuilt and little history of its significance as a temple is listed on the information boards before entering the temple ground. What is surmised, however, is that it was a thriving area in the Goryeo dynasty (918 - 1392AD) as signified by the structure of a majority of the stone pagodas and stone buddhas scattered somewhat whimsically throughout the temple grounds. Some of the remaining 21 stone pagodas do reflect architecture of the earlier Silla dynasty (57BC - 935AD), but the majority as well as the 91 remaining stone buddhas seem to point to that of the Goryeo dynasty. Because so little is historically known about the construction, when and by whom, Unjusa is often referred to as the mysterious temple.

No founding story exists except that of legend: Monk Doseon (도선국사) is said to have founded the temple on principles of pungsujiri (geomancy) supposedly during the later part of the Silla Dynasty. But four excavations and two academic studies conducted from 1984 - 1991 by Jeonnam National University Museum in Gwangju can verify neither the legend nor the temple's origin. Their excavations did reveal that the site was likely founded during the early 11th century but the civilization as a whole seems to have collapsed in 1597 during the Jungyujaeran War.

Nevertheless, according to the legend, the Korean peninsula was believed to be unbalanced and in danger of capsizing because the southeastern part of the peninsula, the Yeongnam, had more mountains than the Honam or southwestern part of the peninsula. In order to prevent such a disaster, Monk Doseon called stone masons down from heaven for the construction of 1000 buddha statues and 1000 pagodas in the southeastern part, in Unjusa, which means "the place where the clouds stay" but also has the meaning of "driving the ship". The heavenly masons were to construct all of the images within one night; however, the cock crowed signaling the heavenly return of the masons before the final two buddha images were constructed. These two images known as "Wabul" (와블) or "The Stone Statues of the Lying Buddha" supposedly impart the most significance for if they were constructed a new hope or "a new world would come". The length of the longer buddha is 12.73 meters or 41.8 feet, an amazingly long buddha image, while the other is about two meters shorter. It is speculated that these might be male and female figures, but I do wonder how gender was represented in the late Silla, early Goryeo dynasty so as to better judge the veracity of such a supposition.

Of interest, the Lying Buddha represents the North Star (Polaris) and the Rock of the Great Bear (along with six other rocks comprise the big dipper, the chilseong) and pagodas around the temple are placed according to positions of various stars. 

"The Big Dipper is called “Bukdu Chilseong” in Korean, which means the seven stars of the northern sky. Of all the stars in the sky, Koreans paid most attention to Bukdu Chilseong. Perhaps that’s because the seven stars in a shape of a ladle were the most conspicuous ones in the night sky. Bukdu Chilseong can even be found engraved on Korean dolmens from the prehistoric era and painted on the walls of Goguryeo-era tombs. According to Korean legends there are four gods defending the four directions – the east, west, south and north. The word “Bukdu” means the god of the north and Ancient Koreans believed that the northern skies represented the throat and the tongue of heaven, the entryway to the netherworld. This is why ancient people believed that the stars and the sky had the power to determine people’s fates. In particular, the Big Dipper was said to have the power over human lives, longevity, fortunes and disasters. Korean mothers would often pray at night for the health and happiness of their families, with a bowl of clean water in front of them. The entity they prayed to was Bukdu Chilseong, also called Master Chilseong. When shamans performed a ritual or ghut (굿), they did it to appeal to Chilseong god. And even in Buddhist temples you would see a small building named “Chilseong-gak,” where the deified Bukdu Chilseong is worshipped. The presence of a shamanistic vestige in Buddhist temples demonstrates how Buddhism incorporated traditional beliefs in order to take root in Korea."

Another Unjusa legend concerns the Lying Buddhas and the Great Bear.

A long, long time ago, a tall and handsome sculptor and a little beautiful princess fell in love with each other. They met secretly because both of them were married. As their love went deeper, they anguished over their secret love. They finally decided to run away. God was moved by their love and sent a cloud ship to help them flee to another place. 

The rowed the ship day and night but came to disaster as they bumped into the corner of the Great Bear. Ruins of their bodies and the ship were scattered everywhere when they fell to the ground. God felt pity for them being dashed against the Great Bear and got seven stars to weep and rain. In addition, the sculptors in heaven were ordered to build statues and pagodas only at night for 1000 days. Finally, the moment the sculptors erected the statues on the 1001st day, the sun set. The heavenly sculptors climbed back up to heaven leaving behind the unfinished "Wabuls".  

Motif of "ship" at Unjusa

Monk Doseon found the topology of the alley to be suggestive of a great ship, so he thought his temple needed a sail and shipmaster. The square, tall pagodas, erected along a straight line down the center of the valley represent the mast of the ship's sail, where the rounded pagodas and Buddhas found throughout the grounds represent the crew. Some amazing suppositions on symbolism.

Many of the Buddhas are quite quaint and personable; however, my favorite was at the far end of the valley at the base of a rather vertical hill. It was backed by rock and faced the long valley. Here at the knee of antiquity I took a break and enjoyed a good read away from the hustle and bustle of city-madness.

And of course my favorite Buddha! I love this picture because in 20 years there will be a gate around this old treasure and who knows, it might even be a UNESCO treasure. A few years before the Tripitaka wooden sutra carvings became a UNESCO treasure at Haeinsa, a monk gave me a tour (I had no idea what he was saying) and he placed one of the hand-carved Tripitakas in my hand (had no idea it was soooo valuable but my students did say it was historically important). I have no picture of that but I have my deep memories. One day ... when this remote and at present little appreciated Buddha statue is famous ... I'll have more than just my memories of valuing its greatness early on!

A Poem on Unjusa by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, a Nobel Prize in Literature Winner

Unjusa, Autumn Rain

Lying beneath a fine mist of fresh water
meditative sleepers with dreamy eyes
turned toward the sky
They say there used to be three, and one of them got up
walked to the edge of the cliff
The two Buddhas still have their backs joined to the stone
one day they will rise in turn
and a new world will be born
On the streets of Seoul,
young men, young women
disrupt time, grasping at seconds
Buying, selling
Creating, inventing, seeking
Who still thinks of the two Buddhas
dreaming on the mountain [End Page 72]
at Unjusa
Pillar of clouds
rising in the midst of red autumn leaves?

Seeking, running
Seizing, carrying off
The stone Buddhas
with the faces of Loas
with the vision of shamans
do they sometimes dream in their sleeplessness
of the great stores of the Dongdaemun market
of neon letters as numerous
as the branches of the forest?

On the other side of the world
on the other side of the sea
a shattered country

a blind country
clawed by fear

Buying, selling
seeing
foretelling
zigzagging the night
when Seoul is lit up like a ship

And the mornings are so calm
gentle at Insadong
on Gwangju's Rue des Artistes
sweepers are picking up cardboard cartons
in a café still open two lovers are holding hands.

Living, moving
Tasting, letting the senses glide
the aroma of frying silkworms
kimchi
soup with noodles, seaweed
ferns
peppery filaments of jellyfish
this land sprung from the depths of the sea
tasting of the ether
Wanting to dream, living
writing
On the other side of the world
at the end of the desert
phosphorus bombs light up the night that has just begun

Desiring, careening
overreaching
the letters lighting up
like broken branches in the forest
I think of the wind that writhes
of the wind that lays children grayed by death
on the bitter coffin of the desert

Waiting, laughing, hoping
Loving, loving
in the palace garden in Seoul
children are plump like gods
their eyes painted with the tips of brushes

Waiting, watching, pouring
under the rain which falls gently at Unjusa
slipping over the red leaves of autumn
its fingers merging into arms reaching toward the sea
returning to its native depths
The faces of the two reclining Buddhas are eroded by this rain
their eyes see the sky
each century that passes is a passing cloud
they are dreaming of another time, another place
they are sleeping with their eyes open
the world has begun to tremble. 

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (J. M. G. Le Clézio), a French novelist, poet, and philosopher, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2008. A world traveler and student of early cultures, he was described by the Swedish Academy as an "author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization." His daring novel Le Procès-Verbal won the 1963 Prix Renaudot, launching his distinguished literary career. A frequent visitor to South Korea, Le Clézio has taught French language and literature at Ewha Womans University in Seoul since 2007.

REFERENCES:

• Project Muse - Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature and Culture
• Seven Stars, Chilseong
• Story behind Making 1000 Buddha Statues and Pagodas
• "The Big Dipper", sung by Park Min-hee
• Unjusa in Wikipedia

Songgwangsa, a "Jewel" Monastery

Buddhism has Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings) and the Sangha (community of monks and nun). In Korea there are three outstanding monasteries, each corresponding to one of the Jewels: Songgwangsa represents the Sangha, Tongdasa the Buddha, and Haeinsa the Dharma.

In 1969 Songgwangsa won the status of a Chongmin (Comprehensive Monastic Training Center), following that of Haeinsa. A monastery can only be designated as Chongnim when there are halls for Seon meditation, Kyo doctrine, Pure Land recitation, and Vinaya, which enables one to practice Seon and study doctrinal understanding in one place. Currently five Chongnims in the Jogye Order exist in South Korea.

Jinul, the founder of this temple, established a distinctively Korean style for Seon practice. He advocated a "sudden awakening/gradual cultivation" approach: full enlightenment can be attained by initial awakening through Hwaom doctrinal understanding and then cultivated gradually by Seon practice.

Restoration Periods

Upon entering the four guardians' gate, the visitor can see an amazingly large wooden bowl with a storage capacity of 250 gallons for rice, specifically used for the many visitors who came to attend National Rituals held at the temple around 1724. This bowl helps one to imagine the magnitude and popularity of the temple grounds at its heyday. Unfortunately, two wars destroyed the original structure: the invasion of Hideyoshi (1592-1598), and then in more modern history, the Korean War (1950-1953). Every time it was destroyed, there was strong determination to rebuild and restore the temple to its former glory. A thousand-day retreat was held (date unknown) to raise funds for the reconstruction of the main hall and lecture hall.

Source - the bisarigusi, or rice bowl that can contain 250 gallons of rice.

Brief History of Songgwangsa

Very little is known about the early history of Songgwangsa. In the Shilla period, there was a relatively small temple called Kilsanga, according to records. In 1190, Master Jinul formed a retreat group, samadhi (concentration) and prajna (wisdom) community at Keojosa in North Gyeongsang province. After seven years he had to expand to accommodate his growing community, and found a suitable site. The name of the mountain was changed to Mt. Jogye, after the mountains where the sixth patriarch of Seon (Zen), Huineaun, had lived in China.

The name Jogye has been adopted by the leading order of the present day Korean Buddhism, in which the heritage of cultivation has been handed down. This temple eventually became Songgwangsa, and over time Jinul produced 15 more National Masters during the Koryeo period.

Seongbo Museum

Seongbo Museum is the genealogy library of Songgwangsa and it holds two national treasures, National Treasure No. 42 (Wooden triptych Buddhist statue of Songgwangwa) and No. 43 (Royal Eddict Issued to Great Master Hyesim).. The temple grounds itself holds an additional National Treasure (no. 56, a hall containing the portraits of the 16 national masters), nine Treasures, two tangible cultural heritage items, and one natural monument (no. 88 - two Chinese juniper trees living on the temple grounds for 784 years).

Unclear whose stupas these are, but stupas on temple grounds are for venerating the temple's great founders. Perhaps these are the 16 national masters .... perhaps.

Temple of Heaven, Seoul

Although the Temple of Heaven is in the heart of Seoul, few people know about this historic treasure.  Located at City Hall subway station, exit 6, and hidden between 5-star hotels -- the President's Hotel and the Westin Chosun Hotel -- is an open space where sits the three-storied Hwanggunggu, the Yellow Palace Shrine, pretty much all that is left of the original Temple of Heaven.

Hwanggunggu, the octagonal Yellow Palace Shrine surrounded by fire-eating, protective haetae,
with the President Hotel behind. Originally built in 1899 but rebuilt after the Korean War.

Hwanggunggu as seen through the central door of the gate, the door that only the king could walk through

The central stairs of ascension for only the king to use as symbolized by the dragon, the emperor's celestial representative 

Haetae, the celestial unicorn-dragons, that were iconically used in and around architecture in the Joseon dynasty, particularly because of people's belief that the haetae were a balance to the elements and could therefore control fire, a hazard that could and often did ravage wooden structures. They were protectors against fire, as well as being
omniscient creatures knowing the goodness and badness in people.

The palace shrine is a relatively new historical structure in Korea. In a country that proudly boasts of stone pagodas that are traced back to the Silla and Goryeo Dynasties and dolmen that are dated much earlier, this palace shrine, built in 1897, is quite "young". Hwanggunggu is where Emperor Kojong prayed to King Taejo, the founder of the empire. It is also where he, as emperor and therefore "son" of Heaven, raised prayers to his ancestor, Heaven itself, for the blessings on his nation and for bountiful harvests. Only an emperor could offer sajik prayers (sa = earth and jik = grain) for abundance in the reapings of the earth as a king was not of the lineage of heaven and so could only worship the earth and grain spirits, not petition them.

Kojong, born 1852, had taken the throne as boy-king in 1863 but the nation was ruled under Regent Daewongun for the first ten years until Kojong was old enough to take the title and the responsibilities of the king. With the weakening of China and the Chinese Qin Dynasty losing the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) to Japan, Korea's political position was shaky. Therefore in an attempt to proclaim Korea on equal standing with both China and Japan which both had emperors and to stimulate Western recognition of the Joseon dynasty as a power, King Kojong proclaimed himself Emperor of Korea and therefore of equal standing with the emperors of China and Japan. Similarly he changed the name of Korea from the kingdom of the Joseon Dynasty to Daehan-jejuk or the "Great Han (Korean) Empire". The change in status signified a change in ceremony. The new emperor therefore built the Wongudan Altar as appropriate for his celestial status and as sacrifices to the heavens were seen as important.

Wongudan Altar, also known as Hwangudan, Hwangdan and Wondan, was constructed in 1897 and is in the compound containing a three-storied round-shaped altar, Hwanggunggu (a three-storied octagonal building where memorial tablets of the Heaven gods were kept), three stone drums and a gate of three doors. The repetition of three is obvious and is based on cosmogony principles. Three can represent the third dimension. Three is apparent in many trigrams, concepts common to Korea and which are woven into the Korean flag via trigram imagery of heaven, earth, water, fire. Three can also represent the triads of body-soul-spirit, birth-life-death, beginning-middle-end and past-present-future.

The three stone drums set up in 1902 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Emperor Gojong's (1852-1919) ascension to the throne. The drums are modeled after the instruments used while making offerings and sacrifices to the heavens.

The construction of the octagonal building had never in known history been built in Korea prior to the construction of Hwanggunggu as an octagonal construction represented a dynastic link to the heavens. Hwanggunggu was the first octagonal building constructed in Korea and represented the new emperor's right to perform prayers to Heaven on behalf of earth. A few other octagonal constructions were made following Hwanggunggu, one being in the Changdeokgung Palace where the Crown Prince's octagonal study chamber is located on the eastern side and faces the east, architectural cosmogony stating his status as a rising sun to the nation. Eight can symbolize regeneration, renewal, resurrection. In Buddhism, eight means completion and symbolizes good augury. In China, which has strongly influenced Korea, eight is the manifestation of the whole, and, based on the eight trigrams of the Chinese bagua of Taoist cosmology, pairs of trigram opposites are arranged in a circle, the circumference of which symbolizes time and space. The octagon was a combination of the circular and the square, the cheonwonjibang (천원지방, literally heaven is round and earth is square). With this in mind, Kojong's ascendancy to emperor had visual credence.

Source

Tap to enlarge - Source

Spring and autumnal ceremonies with sacrificial rites were held on the solstices at the altar. The site for constructing the altar was based on pungsujiri (geomancy) principles. Located between Bugaksan and Namsan, literally north and south mountains, and situated on a natural hill the site was deemed as particularly propitious for offertory food and animal sacrifices.

Emperor Kojong reinstated the Rite of Heaven to strengthen his position as emperor and to spiritually bolster his nation. King Seongjong of the Goryeo Dynasty had performed the Rite of Heaven to ensure bountiful harvest but later during the dynasty the rite was abolished. King Sejo, the seventh king of the Joseon Dynasty, restarted the ritual but in 1464 ten years into his reign, the ritual was abandoned. Almost 450 years later in 1897 Emperor Kojong re-initiated the ritual, but the majority of the years Kojong was "emperor" he was also hiding behind the Russian legation or becoming more and more of a mere figurehead for his country and failing to access celestial blessings to positively shape its destiny.

In 1904 Japan stripped Korea of its rights as an independent nation. In 1907 Emperor Kojong was forced to abdicate in favor of his son Sunjong and then confined to Deoksugung Palace until his mysterious death in 1919. In 1910 the Empire of Korea was annexed by Japan and the dynasty overseen by a celestial emperor was no more. In 1913 the Japanese in an attempt to further control the country dismantled the altar, the symbol of celestial connections, but allowing Hwanggunggu, the stone drums and the gate with three doors to remain standing. Where the altar had previously stood, the Japanese built the Joseon Gyeongseong Railroad Hotel.

[Nomenclature is important and the Joseon capital of Hanseong was renamed 京城, meaning capital but which reads as "Kei-jo" in Japanese and "Gyeongseong" in Korean.]

Building the Gyeongseong Railroad Hotel on the site of the previous altar was the Japanese giving a direct message to Cho-sen, their name for their Korean colony, their right to rule. The message was clear: Hwangudan, the symbol of autonomy and independence to the Great Han Empire was to be a memory of the past, as was the empire itself. Later the Gyeongseong Railroad Hotel was rebuilt into the Chosun Hotel and eventually renamed the Westin Chosun Hotel, the full name which is used today; however, Chosun Hotel likes to market itself as replacing the Japanese-built Gyeongseong Hotel and tries to hush the fact that it indeed stands in part on the original site of the Wongudan, the Altar of Heaven.

The gates remain but the site of the former altar in now somewhere under the Westin Chosun Hotel,
something that the hotel management doesn't broadcast.

The Temple of Heaven where Emperor Kojong worshipped at solstices, 1904

Keijo (Seoul), Chosen - Temple of Heaven, Chosen Hotel Grounds, ca. 1907 - 1914

Wongudan, 1925, Seoul, Korea

I want to give a special thanks to J. K. Shin who introduced me to the Temple of Heaven in a RAS Business and Culture Club meet-up. Thank you, dear "professor", for giving me the backbone of this write up. After living in Korea for 20 years, I never knew this jewel in the downtown cosmopolitan space even existed!

[Published in Korean Quarterly, Vol 19, No 1, Fall 2015, p 43]

1871 Shinmiyangyo Invasion of Ganghwa Island

Thomas Duvernay, PhD in Korean studies and passionate in his research on the 1871 Shinmiyangyo invasion of Ganghwa Island. Shinmiyangyo is the term coined by the Koreans based on the "Shinmi" year from the Chinese calendar, and "yang" meaning western or western disturbance, and so, the Shinmiyangyo in essence means "the western disturbance in the Shinmi year". The tour was hosted by the RAS with the following information regarding what the tour would include:

In the spring of 1871, five US warships entered Korean waters with the stated goal of securing a treaty for the safety of shipwrecked mariners. At the time, Korea still had very negative feelings from several bad interactions with Westerners in the five preceding years. Through cultural misunderstandings and the mishandling of the situation between the Korean and US governments, hostilities broke out. In the end, Korean forces reportedly lost more than three hundred troops, while the US lost only three. It was a so-called "weekend war" that changed the course of relations between the two countries, and continues to be a historic point of contention with many people on both sides. 

Source

The tour begins at the Choji fort where the US landing party first arrived on Korean shores. Although the first shot took place on June 1, 1871 up the straits from Choji, and the first shot of the June 10-12 battles took place on a small island just south of the fort, this place is where the main action started on the morning of June 10, 1871. The tour includes the fort and commentary on military battles and strategies employed in the surrounding areas, including the landing area that used to be mud flats, where men while wearing heavy packs and carrying weighty artillery dragged the 300-plus-pound cannons through the mud. The mud flats have since been reclaimed for farming, along with the area that was the overnight tenting spot for the US forces. [Since the tour was in an unplanned soaking and continuous rain, it was easier for us to imagine to some extent the soggy ground and miserable conditions experienced by the soldiers.]

After advancing up the road, we will pass the hill where Marines posted a picket overnight on June 10 and joined up with sailors as they marched along towards their next objective, the Deokjin fort. While no fighting took place at that fort—Korean troops had left suddenly before US troops arrived—it was the site where Marines took a famous photograph on top of the fort's walls, which are still there. It was from this point that the arduous "line of march" across a stretch of hills, in the hot June sun, was taken up by the US troops on their way to the stronghold of Korean forces, the Sondolmok fort, which is attached to the main fortress of Gwangseongbo. 

Source

From there, we will head to the small village of "Bonggolmaeul", which is in a valley surrounded by parallel hills that US and Korean forces traversed in opposition to each other. It is where much of the fighting took place between Korean and US forces, but is almost unknown as such to most people, historian and villager alike. From there we will hike around the hills where US artillery were positioned while troops pushed on towards their objective, along the opposite hills where Korean forces struggled to gain an advantage over their foes. 

At this point, the tour will conclude its own "line of march" at the same place US and Korean forces did: Gwangseongbo/Sondolmok fort. This is where the fighting drew to its conclusion with Koreans making a last stand in the small, 30 meter diameter fort. It is where, against overwhelming firepower, General Eo Jae-yeon and at least a couple hundred of his troops met their end without surrender. Not only will we tour around the reconstructed forts, but also the hills south and west of the Sondolmok fort where the main attack happened nearly one and a half centuries ago. Our tour culminates a few kilometers away at the Ganghwa Historical Museum, which houses the general's flag that was finally returned to Korea on long-term loan by the US Naval Academy Museum.

Korean General Eo Uh Je-yeon's captured battle flag, called Sujagi, taken on board the USS Colorado 
and then transported to the United States as a spoil of war. 
The Chinese character "su" meaning "martial" is very appropriate for a war flag.

The decimation of General Eo Jae-yeon and his forces.  

Thomas Duvernay, PhD (Korean studies), is an associate professor in the College of Basic Studies at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbukdo, where he teaches Korean history and English. His main historical focus is on the late Joseon dynasty, with his main interest being the 1871 Shinmiyangyo. He campaigned for years for the return of the flag of the Korean general, Eo Jae-yeon, and, in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, was successful with it coming back on long-term loan in 2007. His other interest is Korean traditional archery, which he has practiced since 1993. His wife, Moon-ok Lee, is an English teacher in a Korean high school, and his son, Nick, is an assistant professor at the Catholic University of Korea in Bucheon.

Background insights at the beginning of the tour:

In 1866 the General Sherman, an American ship, tried to sail up the Yamha (?) River and it ran aground. Though it was an American ship, it was leased by a British company, sailed from China and had a very mixed crew of about 24 aboard. Only three of the 24 were Americans: the captain, a missionary and one other. In any regard, when the General Sherman ran aground, aggression on what appears to be both sides took place and in the end the well-armed trading vessel was set afire, and ultimately all those on board killed. The vessel had entered the Korean waters, well-known to be under an isolationism policy, with intents of establishing trade and diplomatic relations with Americans based in China. 

This was a fail, not only because of methods for carrying out establishing trade but also in the same year, just prior in fact to the General Sherman's entrance, a French ship had also gone to Ganghwa and had been asking about the Catholic burnings of previous years. The French had left without information and in anger had burned the national archives, which resulted in revenge and retaliation tactics of the Koreans whereupon five more Catholics were killed.

However, when the Americans came into Korean waters in the 1871 expedition, it was not to question the destroying of the General Sherman or killing of the crew members. Establishing trade relations was the reason as the American hold in the Far East was getting a bit tenuous at the time so the Americans were seeking opportunities to get a stronger trade base. The 1871 expedition ended up in an attack on the island, and only later was the 1866 burning of the General Sherman tacked on to the reasons for attacking the Korean isolationists. By tacking on the "unjust" burning of the General Sherman, the American government could better justify to the American people its reason for a military attack.

The initial reason for the Americans to enter the Korean waters was to survey the Yamha (?) River. After arriving, the Americans negotiated with the Koreans, but the Koreans didn't give an answer to the Americans, which means in the non-confrontational Korean society that they didn't agree, but their silence was taken by the Americans as agreement since they didn't dispute what was proposed. With this misunderstanding, the five American ships preceded up the river to do survey work. One small boat was attacked and there was surprise, so they sent out a "message". "Messages" were posted on a stick on the beach (in Chinese) and then picked up by the Koreans, taken to officials who would compose their reply and post in the same way.

The Americans asked why they had been attacked and demanded a formal apology within 10 days. 10 days came and went. On the last day, however, a raft was sent floating down the river loaded with cows, chickens and thousands of eggs along with a note that said, "You will be hungry on your way home." So basically they were saying, "Please leave!" The Americans did not feel this was an apology, so they decided to attack on June 10.

On a deeper political level, the Americans couldn't back down from this "lack of apology" because the foreigner situation in China was very shaky at the time, and because word traveled swiftly between China and Korea so the Americans had to show strength, more to protect the foreigners and foreign communities in China rather than make headway in survey or trade in Korea. Therefore, they felt it necessary to attack.

Facts about the Shinmiyangyo battle:

Where: Anchorage was at Jakyak Island in between Yeongjong Island and Incheon. Fighting took place from Hwangsan Island up to Gwangseongbo on Ganghwa Island, and also Deokpojin on the mainland.

When: The United States Asiatic Squadron entered Korean waters on May 23, 1871, and departed on July 3, 1871. The first shots were exchanged on June 1, 1871, with the final fighting taking place from June 10-12.

Who: US forces: Five ships of the United States Asiatic Squadron (Colorado, Alaska, Benicia, Monocacy, and Palos) with a total of over 1,200 sailors and marines. Of those, the total number taking part in the landing was 759 men. The crews of the steam launches and boat keepers was 118 men, with the actual landed fighting forces being 651 men (546 sailors, 105 marines). Of those, three were killed in action and ten were wounded. Korean forces: The number is not exactly known, but estimations were over 600 men (although official US accounts were in the thousands). The estimated loss for Koreans was about 350 men (243 dead were counted within the fortress area), and 20 taken prisoner.

Why: In short, Korea was a missing puzzle piece. China and Japan both had relations with the West, while Korea did not. Many overtures were made by Western countries, but all were rebuffed. Because of a very big cultural misunderstanding between the US and Korea, shots were exchanged on June 1, 1871, and the stage was set for the main fighting a few days later.

The group who avidly "drank up" the words of Professor Duverney while being baptized continually with spring rains.

Tour members with Professor Thomas Duvernay in front of the returned Sujaki, the flag that was captured in 1871 and taken to the US, where it sadly was just rolled up and labeled with a little card in a US museum, very not appreciated. This flag represents a national treasure of Korea and Professor Duvernay campaigned for years to have the flag repatriated to its home country. The flag was finally returned on l0-year ong-term loan to Korea in 2007 and is housed in the specially built Ganghwa War Museum to showcase it as a representative feature for the history of Ganghwa Island. The flag is 4.5 meters x 4.5 meters, and unlike western flags that are hung by a lateral end, Korean flags were hung like giant pendants from large horizontal beams of wood.

Archeology Analysis of the Three Kingdom Period

Lauren Glover, PhD candidate in Archaeology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, gave a Fulbright presentation entitled "All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Bronze and Stone in the Three Kingdoms Period". The write-up for her presentation is as follows: 

"During the Three Kingdoms period (300-668AD), various regions in South Korea were divided into several kingdoms, each with its own unique decorative style, but while divided, they were united by the heavy trade they transacted with each other, China, and Japan. This time period is extremely important because within it classical aspects of Korean culture were established that influenced later social, political and ideological developments, such as the use of bronze for rituals. Bronze and stone ornaments, especially in the form of jade, were important items to the elites of these kingdoms and were used for both displays of wealth and legitimacy, and for the ideological rituals required to maintain control in both the physical and spiritual world. Elites continued to use bronze and stone even when more economical, practical and prestigious options were available such as gold, iron and glass. This suggests that the materials themselves had significance to Three Kingdoms period people which could not be fully divorced from mundane issues. I am especially interested in tracing the manufacture and use of gokuk 곡옥 (curved beads) during this period since they were used specifically by elites in unique displays of wealth, power and ideology. 

"My research objective is to use a combination of new and traditional analysis to learn the “biography” of an artifact from raw material to final deposition. I utilize an XRF (X-Ray fluorescence) scanner on both bronze and stone to determine a rough composition of the artifact. The compositions are used both in lead isotope analysis and in determining the origin of the stone artifacts. An extremely new method of lead isotope analysis called EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid) solution analysis is also being utilized. All other methods of lead isotope analysis require harming the artifact so using this method has allowed me to analyze artifacts which would otherwise not be examined. The results of the lead isotope analysis will be compared to lead isotope ratios across East Asia to determine where the copper in the bronzes was coming from. I use silicon impression material to take impressions of the holes in the ornaments (usually beads). Those impressions will eventually be scanned with an SEM (scanning electron microscope) to determine what type of drill was used and if there is any wear on the inside of the hole. Until then, I use a digital microscope, a scanner, and my own measurements of the beads to look for patterns in manufacturing methods and style in the hopes of identifying specific groups of people or workshops that were dealing with creating these ornaments. I also hope to use the data from this project to replicate artifacts in the future in order to learn more about the manufacturing process."

Lauren Glover will be doing the first half of her research here in South Korea and the second half in Japan, both of which times she will be examining bronze and stone used ceremonial during the span of the Korean peninsula's Three Kingdoms period.

Research Objectives: Biography

• To determine the "biography" of bronze and stone artifacts from raw material to final deposition
• To use this biographical information to learn more about power, religion, and economy during the Three Kingdoms period 
• Gosden and Marshall (1999) idea of biography: "As people and objects gather time, movement and change, they are constantly transformed, and these transformations of person and object are tied up with each other."

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage makes statements that the gilt bronze shoes were made in the Baekjae Kingdom. Such a finding offers a glimpse into the relations between Baekjae and the native forces of Mahan (1st C BC - 3rd C AD), an ancient kingdom that was later absorbed into the Baekjae Kingdom. - Source

I believe these are the gilt bronze shoes that were discovered still having human bone in them and which are housed in the Baekjae Museum. Finding bone is a rare find in the Korean Peninsula because Korean soil is very acidic so bone easily perishes, as acid destroys organic material and therefore there is little carbon in the soil
... which ultimately messes with carbon dating also.

Research Objectives: Understanding Trade and Trade Routes

• To develop new, area specific models of regional and interregional trade and exchange
• Uni-directional model: that goods and culture flowed from China, through the Korean peninsula (without being influenced by Korean culture) and on to the Japanese archipelago
• My model: inter- and extra-regional with bi-directional exchange of goods, ideas, people and technology

What we know about trade:

• People have been trading between the Russian Far East, northern China, the Korean peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago for the past 25,000 years
• Yellow Sea Interaction Sphere 500BC - 500AD (Barnes 1999): goods, ideology, technology
• Tomb styles and pottery are well studied during this period
• Historical texts list a number of items and services being traded, only some of which can be verified archaeologically

Already a lot is known about trade so Lauren Glover will be looking specifically at bronze and stone which hasn't been highly researched.

Power and wealth:

• Wealth communicates status, legitimacy, ideology and power (Baines and Yoffee 2000, Kenoyer 2000)
• Value in archaeology:
• "situationally mediated" (Appadurai 1886, Kenoyer 2000)
• rare materials more valuable
• the more labor invested in an object, the more valuable it is
• objects gain value the more technological processes or knowledge is needed to create them
• valuable symbols of wealth will be controlled by elites

The Three Kingdoms Period:

Actually the Three Kingdoms period should really be considered as the Four Kingdoms period as Goguryo (37BC - 668AD) was usually at war with the three southern kingdoms, which definitely had some or even a lot of influence on the culture and trade of the southern kingdoms.

Mumun Period: 1500BC - 300BC
Proto 3 Kingdoms Period: 300BC - 300AD
3 Kingdoms Period: 300AD - 668AD
Unified Silla: 668AD - 935AD

Map of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, at the end of the 5th century - Wikipedia

During the Three Kingdom period, gokuk (curved beads) were in great use. The Shinto religion in Japan was probably derived during this time, and jade became popularized.

But why bronze?


Although the common copper alloys are often all called "bronze", in fact, the different combinations of copper + alloy produce different metals (refer to picture on left).

Copper + zinc making brass wasn't in use in the Three Kingdoms period because zinc was harder to isolate and this isolation process didn't happen until much later.

However, iron was used in the period. Iron was easier to work with, cheaper and more durable than other options. Tin was still expensive and only used by the elite classes, but it could be exported from China. When worked with copper, the two metals created bronze which is very bright and like gold when it is new. If a lot of tin was used, the better the reflection in the finished product. Also, if a lot of tin was used, the resonance of the bronze would be better, for example, bronze bells with more tin had more resonance and tone.

The military also used bronze for their armor or equestrian equipment, e.g. stirrups, but if used, this type of bronze was gilt bronze. Military headgear, spears, halberds, daggers, buckles, etc were also items popular for the elite soldiers.

Testing Methods

Lauren uses the X-ray florescence (XRF) measure for ascertaining the metal of the object. There are hand-held and larger, heavier types but the method is the same. Shoot the beam which penetrates a few centimeter and throws waves back. The point is to get a lead reading for a lead isotope analysis. With this analysis, it is possible to know where the lead is derived from -- which quarry or mine, whether within Korea or China or wherever. Often this is not a useful method for isolating location of lead origin; however, in Asia (China, Korea, Japan) the lead isotopes are very different, hence this method is very revealing as to trade relations and political and social interactions of the period.

Another method, Lead Isotope Provenancing or is it EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid, is to soak the artifact in a solution from 20-60 minutes and traces will break off into the solution, which is then sent off for analysis. This is a very non-invasive method as opposed to using a laser which leaves a tiny pit or even the more damaging method of shaving a small bit off (damaging) and analyzing the shavings. Lauren proposed taking many samples using this non-invasive method, but gaining access to ancient artifacts takes time. As of now, she has run five tests, and four of them appear to fall within the Korean lead isotope areas.

Gokuk 곡옥 (curved beads)

Gokuk are made from every material possible (clay, stone, amber, jade ...) and are found on head pieces, earrings, around people's necks in both Korea and Japan. Although from these instances they would seem to be ornamental for people's bodies, their uses are thought to be much more extensive. The trouble with defining their uses, however, is that most typically they are found disconnected from their associated object of use in tombs, in houses and campsites, so archeology can only make assumptions as their uses which extends beyond the elite classes. The five, arguably six, royal crowns discovered in tombs of the Three Kingdom period all had gokuk made of various colors of jade on them.

Crown, Korea, Silla Kingdom, second half of 5th century. Excavated from the north mound of Hwangnam Daechong Tomb. Gold and jade; H.10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm). Gyeongju National Museum, Korea, National Treasure 191

According to Lauren, during the Three Kingdoms Period there were no gokuk bead workshops on the Korean peninsula (although some/many had existed prior to the period but stopped producing for some reason). Many gokuk workshops were in operation in the Japanese archipelago at this time. The ritual beads found on royal crowns were of jade, but jade needs to be qualified as there are the "jade" beads made of jadeite and those made of nephrite. Both types though are very hard need a lot of work in their production.

Jadeite - very rare, expensive, only found in 10 places around the world (Japan, Russia, western Alps, California, Myanmar, Guatemala, Central Asia ...) 

Nephrite - not as rare or expensive, has a lot of variety, found around the world (Canada is the largest source)

Studying the beads is to study ritual symbolism and therefore to better understand religion, history and ethnography in order to form working hypothesis. Using Specific Gravity and XRF, Lauren analyzes the type of jade or nephrite and can ascertain in a large degree from where the stone originated from, and therefore make guesses on trade routes. 

Also studying bead production for its ceremonial or practical purposes, she analyzes the drill hole and threads the drill made. Drill holes tell stories of their own. By taking pictures with a particularly high-powered camera and which are then studied on the computer, she can ascertain the type of drill used to make the gukuk bores. She also studies the angles of the bores, whether the bores were made from one side or both and, if from both, how evenly or unevenly the drill patterns meet. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) also comes in handy for understanding the sample's surface topography and composition.

• metal drills make smooth bore holes
• stone drills make uneven bores; some are tapered, others are cylindrical
• copper drills make striations

Bio:
Lauren is a PhD candidate in archaeology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has a MA in Archaeology from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, a MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Leeds in Britain, and a MA in Anthropology (Archaeology) from UW-Madison. Lauren studies the trade, exchange and manufacture of bronze and stone ornaments in the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago from 250-668AD. She is also interested in mortuary rituals, ideology and religion, experimental archaeology, gender, and nationalism. Feel free to visit her website: www.laurenglover.com. 

Temple-stay at Myogaksa (Seoul)

Myogaksa Temple in Seoul located between Sinseul-dong and Dongmyo subway stations is one of very few temples within the greater city of Seoul and doubly unusual that it has a temple stay program, this particular one aimed more at foreigners to give them an experience of Korean Buddhist temple life. Actually I would more likely say that it was for generating income, especially as the current trend in Korea is to have cultural experiences and the marketing is high for them ... as is the price for this cultural temple stay experience.

Case in point, the participation fee is pricey:

• Temple stay: 2 day, 1 night (adults: W95,000, children W80,000)
• Temple life: daily (adults W50,000, children W40,000)

Amenities aka "offerings" to the participants

• Temple stay: room, locker, uniform, comfortable shoes, body cleaner, towels, shower towel, soap, shampoo and rinse, toothpaste, name tag, vegetable dishes (monks are vegans), a bottle of water
• Temple life: room, locker, uniform, name tag, comfortable shoes, vegetable dishes

Personal preparation

• Temple stay: socks, toothbrush
• Temple life: socks

Programs very depending on seasonal events and whether in the week or on the weekend.

Single day experience: 

• Weekdays - Making 108 wooden beads, experiencing a tea ceremony, having a temple tour; 10am - 3pm (with advanced reservation)
• Saturdays - Making 108 prayer beads, experiencing a tea ceremony, Zen meditation, Buddhist ceremony, striking a bell; 2pm - 7pm (with advanced reservation)

2-day temple stay experience:

• Saturday 2pm - Sunday 10am (with advanced reservation)
• Making 108 prayer beads, experiencing a tea ceremony, Zen meditation, dawn trekking, Buddhist ceremony, striking a bell, temple tour
• Seasonal programs include making artificial lotus blossoms and sutra copying

And thanks to our guide who spoke quaint but beautiful English permeated by references to sutras, we got a deeper understanding of Korean monastic life.

This female monk is in charge of the temple stay program. She has been a monk for several years, speaks excellent English and is a fount of information. She would have made an excellent professor because of her gift of having information and knowing how to communicate it embedded with rich cultural meaning.
(picture taken by David Gemeinhardt)

"Myogak" is "enlightenment of the profound and mysterious" (according to the brochure on the temple). Myogaksa is placed in the middle of Seoul and is nestled by Naksan Mountain with small pine trees sprouting out of rock crevices. The temple has a long history (about 100 years) and is a place to refresh the mind, body and soul.

According to the brochure, "If you want to realize your mind as it really is and thereby lay dawn all afflictions and delusions, come and join here. The temple stay also provides opportunities to experience various aspects of the 1700-year-old Korean Buddhist culture and to share Korean history through intriguing stories told by sunim (monks)."

Contact info: www.myogaksa.net - myogaktemple@naver.com - 02-763-3109