Reproduction a Loop-handled Sword from Suchon-ri Site During the Baekje Kingdom

백제시대 수촌리유적 출토 환두대도의 복원제작

The Suchon-ri tomb No. 1 is the earliest one among the Suchon-ri tombs excavated in 2003. The Suchon-ri tomb No. 1 yielded a number of valuable artifacts furnished with burial goods such as gilt bronze items of a crown, a pair of earrings and shoes and a loop-handled sword with inlaid silver decoration. In particular, a loop-handled sword drew scholarly attention in that it showed characteristics of Baekje such as wave patterns on a silver plate decorated in the handle and sheath and inlaid dragon design on the loop-handle. In the process of the reproducing the loop-handled sword, classification methods of the loop-handled swords, iconography decorated on the swords, unearthed loop-handled swords of the Three Kingdoms Period have been investigated along with studying the reproduction cases in Japan. In addition to the study focused on the shape of the swords, manufacturing techniques have been thoroughly analyzed through scientific methods. Finally, based on the synthesis of a series of studies and analyses, traditional manufacturing techniques employed by Baekje artisans had been inferred and a replica of the loop-handled sword was manufactured with the traditional methods.