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| chiljido statue source |
During this year's Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival held in various parts of Seoul but primarily at Olympic Park, a large statue of the famed chiljido (seven-branched knife) was unveiled in a ceremony on September 22 (Saturday) 11:30-12:00. The statue is to commemorate and laud the high-level of brass craftsmanship and culture in the Baekje period approximately 2,000 years ago. It also is a not-so-subtle way of gathering the Korean people to have collective nationalistic ideas about the historical value of the fanciful knife and to engender ethnocentric mass appeal that this historical icon is a symbol of power of exchange with Japan rather than a symbol of tribute, aka dynasty subordination.
Korea and Japan have many issues which they continually bicker over -- (the comfort woman issue, the writing and rewriting of history textbooks, the island Dokdo, many national treasures in Japan but which are argued to be of Korean origin, and the chiljido is yet another.
History of the Chiljido
Chiljido (seven branched knife), is said to be the epitome of Baekje Dynasty's iron making technology. The chiljido, thought to be holy at the time, was presented as a gift from the Baekje Dynasty to Japan in the 4th century. It is now designated as one of Japan's national treasures. What makes this decorative sword more interesting is the controversy that surrounds it. Korean and Japanese historians have yet to agree on whether the sword was sent to Japan's king as tribute or bestowed to Japan as a gift.
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History of Korean-Japanese Interaction
An on-line PDF book entitled A History of Korean-Japanese Interaction from Prehistory to Modern Times (the English version published in 2014 and the Korean version 한일교류의 역사 published in 2007) gives a somewhat detailed perspective (from the Korean point-of-view since it is a Korean publication) of the Korean peninsula and the islands of Japan. I've lifted the two pages related to the chiljido - pages 41-42 - as it more clearly elaborates on the formal transfer of the bronze knife from Korea to Japan:
"Of the three kingdoms in the Korean peninsula, Baekje maintained the closest relationship with Wa [Japan]. This was due to the large waves of immigration from Baekje to Kyūshū, where Korean settlers made sizeable contributions to the creation of a state there. The Seven-branched Sword (K. Chiljido), presumed to have been offered by a Baekje king to a king of Wa, is an excellent example of the strong ties between the two countries. Using this alliance, Baekje had forces from Wa sent into the Korean peninsula to assist in its wars against Koguryo or Silla, or to interfere with the internal politics of Gaya during times of unrest and chaos. Baekje and Wa remained allies even after that Korean kingdom’s collapse, until the Baekje restoration effort was completely crushed.
However, there is no consensus concerning when the Seven-branched Sword was forged. There also is no consensus regarding the interpretation of the inscriptions found on its surfaces. One theory is that the gift was a token of submission to Wa on the part of Baekje, the subjugated country. Another is that it was a gift from Baekje to Wa, its subordinate country. A third theory claims that the Seven-branched Sword was a gift from Eastern Jin, relayed by Baekje to Wa. The inscription on the sword is an important epigraphic source attesting to the interactions between Baekje and Wa in the late fourth century."The Seven-branched Sword: Held at Isonokami Shrine, Nara Prefecture
Korean Timeline of Significant Historical Points(emphasis on Baekje kingdom)
Festival Activities
And of course there were some other old-culture activities like pounding stakes into the ground or pounding earth to flatten a living area. Lots of kids participated in this but I think the parents had more fun watching the kids expend some of their energy.
And then there were Beakje-theme crafted figures in the man-made lake and banners flying like those that might have flown during the Baekje kingdom. The outside stuff was mostly for kids or for couples taking pictures, but in Olympic Park there are two museums (one provided the timeline entered above) and I migrated to them for my "entertainment".
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