“I swung it once and swept it away, and blood ran down the mountain… ” Yi Sun-sin’s 2m sword becomes a national treasure

Relics that clearly show the determination of Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) are still handed down. These are two long swords (long swords) that he used to hone his fighting spirit by looking at them like his motto until he was killed by a bullet in the Battle of Noryang in 1598. The two swords, called ‘Chungmugong’s long sword’ or ‘Yi Sun-sin’s long sword’, became relics like his alter ego thanks to the two poems engraved on the upper part of the blade by the general. ‘三尺誓天山河动色’ (Samcheok Seocheon Mountain Hadongsaek) meaning ‘I swear to the sky안전놀이터 with a stone ruler’s sword,’ and ‘一揮掃蕩血染山河'(Ilhuisotanggyeolsanha) is that phrase.

‘Lee Sun-sin Jangdo’ becomes a national treasure. In 1963, it was designated as a national treasure under the collective name of ‘Yi Sun-sin Artifacts’ together with the general’s relics, such as okro (a jade craft that decorates the top of a hat), belt (waist belt), cups and saucers, etc. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 22nd that the two swords, which had been deposited and stored at Hyeonchungsa Temple in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, would be designated as national treasures. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced the designation by adding a round wooden box (Yodaeham) that stored the waist belt to the list of ‘Yi Sun-sin Artifacts’, and the ‘cup and saucer’ artifact originally included was ‘peach-shaped’ instead of the Chinese character name ‘Dobaegudae’. It was decided to change the official name to ‘cup and saucer’.

‘Yi Sun-sin Jangdo’ is approximately 2m in length, and the size and shape of the sword and scabbard are almost the same as a pair, exactly matching the record in <Lee Chungmugongjeonseo> (1795). Inscribed on the stem of the sword’s hilt is “甲午四月日造太貴連李茂生作,” which means “It was made by father-in-law Tae Gwi-ryeon and Lee Moo-saeng in April of the year of Gabo (1594).” . Various traditional craft techniques such as inscriptions engraved on the blade, wavy patterned lines, silver inlaid techniques that decorate the rims and rings of the hilt and scabbard, and leather, metal, and lacquer were used in harmony.

Along with this, the Cultural Heritage Administration also designated the Daeungbojeon of Baengnyeonsa Temple in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, which was the base of the ‘commitment’ of the Buddhist innovation movement during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties, and where Jeong Yak-yong, a silhak scholar in the 19th century, came into exile and formed a relationship, as a national treasure.