Eight Gifts from Ming Emperor in Chungnyeolsa Shrine, Tongyeong

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.440

Category

Craft

Designated year

1966

Location

통영시, 경상남도— 경상남도 통영시 중앙로 61 (도천동, 통영시립박물관)

Coordinates

34.846963, 128.417533

The Wanli Emperor (r. 1572~1620) of the Ming Dynasty presented these eight gifts (fifteen items in total) to Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin upon hearing about his great achievements during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. All of the relics (yeongpae, gwido, chamdo, dkjeongi, hngsoryeonggi, nmsoryeonggi, gngnapal) except the dodogin (bronze seal) were presented in pairs and have been preserved at Chungnyeolsa Shrine. The dodogin is a bronze seal with a handle. On the box containing the seal, there is an inscription in Chinese of the word Hwangjoeosain, which means that the seal was granted by the Chinese emperor. The seal bears the carved letter Gwanbang. The yeongpae is an octagonal wooden seal, which is engraved with the letter yeong on one side, and daejang (leader) on the other. It comes with a case made of deer leather decorated with a leopard design. The gwido is a knife with a hilt. It is decorated with the heads of a dragon and a ghost. The scabbard was made of Paulownia wood wrapped in paper and painted red. The scabbard of the chamdo was made of wood, wrapped in shark skin and painted red, then covered with cowhide. The dokjeongi is a flag designed to encourage soldiers in battle. It bears the word ‘Dokjeon’ which was made by cutting and pasting the navy blue silk fabric and, and the words, "A soldier who doesn’t obey an order will be beheaded" against the red background. The head of the flag pole is ornamented with a spearhead. The hongsoryeonggi is a signal flag that was used to transmit orders. It contains the word ‘order’ printed in navy blue against the red silk background. The head of the flag pole is ornamented with a spearhead. Similarly, the namsoryeonggi is also a signal flag, and bears the word ‘order’ printed in red against a navy blue silk background. The gongnapal is a bronze horn with a curved neck, hence its name: gok means "curved" and napal means "horn"). The end of the horn flares outward and is adorned with a red tassel. These valuable relics, which are preserved at Chungnyeolsa Shrine, attest to the great esteem in which the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty held Admiral Yi for his meritorious service and courage during the war with Japan.

Location