Jinju National Museum 상설전시

This is a portrait of Ma Gui (麻貴, 1541~1612), a Ming general who was deployed to fight in the Jeongyu War. He is in a gold cap and court attire, sitting in a chair that is covered in tiger skin and holding a scepter.

These are the restored armor and helmet worn by Ryu Seongryong during the war. The armor which had been partially preserved provided a glimpse into the original shape and material. The lame created by cutting pig hide in a certain size was put together using deerskin leather lace to make this mail armor.

This is known to be a sword made in the Ming dynasty of China that was used by Ma Shunshang (麻舜裳), a great-grandson of Ma Gui. Ma Shunshang, who oversaw the military provisions in Dengzhou, encountered a windstorm while transporting rice for the military on a boat and drifted to Joseon where he settled afterwards.

This is the oldest remaining Seungja-Chongtong. From the engraving on the handle, we can see that the gun was made by Gyu Ga (揆加 in 1579 (12th year of King Seonjo’s reign over Joseon).

The size of the large cannons used in the Joseon dynasty was distinguished according to the order of characters in the Thousand-Character Classic: Cheon (天), Ji (地), Hyeon (玄), and Hwang (黃). Among them, Cheonja-Chongtong was the largest and was capable of shooting large arrows such as Daejanggunjeon. It is said that Daejanggunjeon (大將軍箭) could be shot across a distance of 900-bo, which is equivalent to approx. 720m. the grip has been damaged, but it is the best Cheonja-Chongtong that remains today, with its production year accurately known (1555).

This was used to shoot Bigyeokjincheolloe (Thunderclap Bomb Shell) or Danseok (Stone Cannonball). Mortars were distinguished into four different sizes: large, medium, small and extra small. It was written that medium mortars were made in Sangjupo (尙州浦) and this particular medium mortar was excavated from Hadong-gun in Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

This was the third largest cannon following Cheonja-Chongtong and Jija-Chongtong. Shooting the Chadaejeon arrows using Hyeonja-Chongtong would achieve a range of 800 bo, which is equivalent to approx. 640m, and it was capable of shooting 100 Cheolhwan simultaneously.

The Hwangja-Chongtong, which was the smallest among all four cannons, was capable of shooting Piryeongchajungjeon (皮翎次中箭) over a distance of 1,100 bo, which is equivalent to approx. 880m, and it was capable of shooting 40 Cheolhwan simultaneously. These large cannons were mounted on the vessels of the Joseon navy and contributed greatly to defeating the Japanese during the Imjin War.

This was smaller than the Cheonja-Chongtong. Among the larger weapons, it was most commonly used on battlefields. It’s been reported that Jija-Chongtong could shoot Janggunjeon across a range of 800 bo, which is equivalent to approx. 640m. and it was capable of shooting 200 Cheolhwan simultaneously.

Bigyeokjincheolloe (Thunderclap Bomb Shell) is a bomb shell made from cast iron. It is known to have been first made by Lee Jangson (李長孫) during King Seonjo’s reign and used during the Imjin War. It was filled with gunpowder through the hole on the side and the wick was lit with fire before it was thrown or rolled by hand, but it was typically launched using a mortar. It was used as a time bomb, with the timing of explosion adjusted by varying the number of fuses.

This was the armor of a warrior that was worn to war. This particular armor called Dujeonggap was made by attaching the lame made from iron or leather to a durumagi (traditional Korean overcoat) with iron nails.

The sword is called woldo, which literally means the “moon sword,” as the blade is in the shape of a crescent moon. It was introduced in Joseon after it was seen that the Ming troops defeated the Japanese troops during the Imjin War by using this type of sword.

These swords were bestowed upon Kim Myeongyun (金明胤, 1565~1609) personally by King Seonjo in recognition of his meritorious deeds as the Governor of Paju-mok during the Imjin War. Both of them are double-edged swords, and there is a smaller blade branching off the main blade near the hilt.

This was a type of iron mace carried by the soldiers escorting the king. It has a handle and the head is shaped like an oriental melon. It was called “Chapok” due to its resemblance to a wheelbarrow.

This is a piece of iron with four sharp spikes. It is also called neungcheol (菱鐵), yeocheol (藜鐵), or mareunsoe. It was scattered on the area through which the enemy troops were expected to access so as to thwart their invasion attempt.

The matchlock introduced into Japan through a merchant vessel from Portugal spread throughout the country during the Seongoku (Warring States) period. It was used as one of the main weapons by the Japanese during the Imjin War.

The standard Japanese sword was around 90~100cm long. Swords that were longer was called ootachi (大太刀) or nodachi (野太刀), and they were used in actual battle.

This was a weapon that began to appear in late Seongoku (Warring States) period. It was preferred by warriors as it could be used to stop the weapon (spear or sword) of one’s opponent.

『Chungmugong-Jeonseo』 was published upon the king’s orders in 1795 (19th year of King Jeongjo’s reign over Joseon). This book contains poems and proses as well as Nanjung Ilgi (War Diarmy) written by Yi Sunshin, in addition to what has been written about Yi Sunshin in epitaphs and funeral orations.

This is a classical Japanese novel presenting a biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and describing the Imjin War.