Seungjachongtong

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.648

Category

Craft

Era

조선 선조 12년(1579)

Designated year

1978

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.524041, 126.980350

The seungja rifle is a compact portable firearm that is manually ignited and fired. This gun is 56.8 cm long and weighs 4.5 kg. The barrel is 34.8 cm long while the muzzle is 4 cm long with 6 joints. To prevent injury from exploding gunpower, the lengths of the three joints near the ammunition chamber are made shorter than those near the muzzle. This gun was also made to be used as a club should a hand-to-hand combat situation arise. The name of the craftsman as well as the year of its manufacture is engraved on the handle. However, the wooden handle is lost from wear and tear. The statement on the handle says that the gun was developed jointly by a Jeollajwasusa, the title given to the naval commander in charge of Jeolla-do Province, and Gyeongsangbyeongsa, the title of an army commander in charge of Gyeongsang-do named Kim Ji sometime between the 8th and 11th year of the reign of King Seonjo of Joseon, and was manufactured in the 12th year of his reign. This gun is one of the first models of the seungja rifle. It is remarkable in the history of firearms in Korea that these portables arms were already made in 16th Century.

Location