• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.172-193
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• 2013

This study examines the production techniques and raw materials shown in the Korean dried-lacquer statues of Buddha through a careful observation of the Seated Dried-lacquer Bodhisattva Statue from the late Goryeo Dynasty which is currently possessed by Okura Museum of Art in Tokyo. As a method of study, the X-ray data and the results from a field survey were combined to analyze the production techniques and the characteristics of raw materials. Based on this analysis, a hypothesis was established on the production process and verified through a reenactment of the actual production process. Then, the characteristics of the techniques applied to each process and the raw materials were recorded in detail. Specifically, the dried lacquer techniques and the raw materials were estimated based on the results of naked-eye observation in comparison with the literature, especially the records of "Xiu Shi Lu" written by Huang Cheng of the Ming Dynasty which is considered as 'the textbook of lacquer techniques.' The raw materials used in the production of the traditional Korean lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl were also referenced. As a result, it was found that the features of production techniques and the raw materials found in the Statue at Okura Museum of Art have many similarities with those of the Seated Dried-lacquer Statue of Lohan (Arhat) from Yuanfu 2 Nian Ming (1098) of the Song Dynasty which is currently at the Honolulu Museum of Art. In particular, the similarities include that the interior of the statue being vacant because the clay and the wood core were not replaced after being removed from the prototype, that the complete form was made in the clay forming stage to apply the lacquer with baste fiber fabric, that the clay and the wood core were removed through the bottom of the statue, and that the modeling stage was omitted and the final coat over the statue is very thin. Additionally, decorating with ornaments like Bobal and Youngrak made of plastic material was a technique widely popular in the Song Dynasty, suggesting that the Seated Dried-lacquer Bodhisattva Statue in Okura Museum of Art was greatly affected by the production techniques of the Dried-lacquer Buddha Statue from the Song Dynasty. There is no precise record on the origin and history of the Korean Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues and the number of existing works is also very limited. Even the records in "Xuanhe Fengshi Gaoli Tujing" that tells us about the origin of the Dried-lacquer Buddha Statue from the Yuan Feng Period (1078~1085) do not indicate the time of transmission. It is also difficult to trace the clear route of transmission of production techniques through existing Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues. Fortunately, this study could at least reveal that the existing Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues of Korea, including the one at Okura Museum of Art, have applied the production techniques rather differently from those used in the production of Japanese Datsukatsu Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues that have been known as the standard rule in making dried-lacquer statues of Buddha for a long time.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.4-23
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• 2020

This study examines the universal meaning of the roof-end tile, our cultural property, and especially focuses on an ontological interpretation of the "Smile of Silla" roof-end tile. In addition, the problem of good and evil read here is considered in connection with the universal problem of philosophy. The issue of good and evil is a theme in philosophy, theology, religion, and culture that will endure throughout human history in both the East and the West. Augustine and Schelling inquired deeply into the source of evil and obtained an answer to this question based on their methods, but their answer is not universal or absolute, or an answer that applies to everyone. This is because the issue of good and evil possesses both a direct relationship with every human being and a characteristic that will remain unresolved. That is to say, the metaphysical question regarding the source of evil will always be one that is open. Nietzsche, however, repudiated the morals handed down through Socrates and Christianity, and urged that we reside "beyond good and evil." This brief review argues that good and evil exists in the form of a being in itself, whether it is within our grasp or not, and reveals that good and evil is more "this-worldly" than it is "other-worldly". The roof-end tiles with facial markings passed on to us also presuppose that evil is in full force in this world and exerts its influence. This review taps into several folk methods for coping with the existence of an invincible evil that surpasses human capability and contemplates the extraordinary and creative ideas of the Silla people through their "Smile of Silla" roof-end tiles with facial markings that were used to counter evil.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.259-274
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• 2013

Culture is already deeply imbued in our lives. The furniture has become a way of life and the human became part of the culture. In this study, the aim is to explore the traditional furniture that is projected through the culture as a lifestyle. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the cultural implication in Korean traditional wooden furniture. Specific research questions in this study are as follows; 1) How to reflected house structure culture at traditional woodcraft furniture? 2) How to reflected interior space culture at traditional woodcraft furniture? 3) How to projected life form style culture at traditional woodcraft furniture? 4) How to harmonize between modern life culture and traditional woodcraft furniture? In order to achieve the purpose of this study, the literature of review was used masters of Korea's traditional woodcraft furniture. To collect information of Korean traditional furniture, the furniture was selected representative pieces of Korean Joseon Dynasty and interviewed an important intangible cultural asset somokjang. Based on the explore of Korean traditional furniture, the conclusions of this study are as follows; first, in the viewpoint of house framework culture, most of traditional furniture was made u sing a narrow interior space and was to be placed in close contact with the walls, and was developed as a type of molding on the front of the furniture to pursue beauty. Second, in the viewpoint of ondol culture, traditional furniture was closed to the wall by using low height furniture and furniture legs the structure punghyeol was used to reflect the phenomena of convective heat and humidity. Third, in the viewpoint of life form culture, traditional furniture was made that sat-down at eye level configuration is proportional to its size and height and appropriately been made. And patterns reflect the wishes of most things in nature and to be blessed with longevity origin were used in the decoration of wooden furniture. Finally, in the viewpoint of modern life culture, traditional furniture is simple but not dirty, and splendid but not luxurious. So although traditional wooden furniture are in any room or place, never discouraged by the dignity.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.29-34
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• 2021

Purpose Sample reception environment system in nuclear medicine has not changed much compared to 20 years ago. When preparing sample for in vitro test, there was no significant change because the test was carried out by generating an own specimen from the parent specimen. In this study, We would like to introduce a method that automatically removes the sample cap using the automated decapper equipment and enables automatic reception at the same time. In addition, including a provisional reception system. Materials and Methods In 2019, it was intended to get a device that automatically removes the cap of a patient's blood sample. This equipment is the same as the equipment used in the Department of Laboratory Medicine (Vacuette Ⓡ Unicap Belt Decapper, Greiner bio-one, Austria). However, the purchase was delayed due to differences in tube size, budget, and space. In January 2020, we borrowed domestic automatic decapper equipment and modified it to suit our laboratory environment. After 9 months, we were able to introduce a system that automatically removes the lid of a patient's blood sample and at the same time automatically accepts the test. And, through the provisional reception system, it was possible to know the arrival of the specimen in a short time. Results With the use of an automatic decapper device, the sample cap was automatically removed, and the reception proceeded at the same time. So, it was very efficient at work because it shortened the sample preparation time by about 20 minutes. In addition, it was possible to prevent the examiner's musculoskeletal disorders caused by repeated wrist use. After using the provisional reception system, patients were able to be discharged quickly, and the number of phone calls to confirm the arrival of samples was reduced. Conclusion Most hospitals have about four employees in the nuclear medicine in vitro laboratory. It is effective to use automatic decapper equipment and a provisional reception system for organizations that perform work with the minimum number of personnel.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.19
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• pp.293-305
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• 2015

At the same time the unique cultural traits of each country are valued, it has become an essential element to establish the cultural identity of a country. This study is aimed at comparing the residence architectural cultures in East-Asia and thus identifying Korea's own unique traits by determining the application characteristics of traditional architectures of Korea, China and Japan through practical investigation of materials, a basic element of architectural shaping. Literature survey and field study were conducted in parallel for this study, and architectural buildings under investigation included Mucheomdang House in Korea, Prince Gong Mansion in China and Dokyudo Building in Japan. Construction materials in Korea, China and Japan include natural materials such as wood, stone and clay, and artificial materials such as metals, paper, roof tiles, plug and glass. and the buildings were constructed with the combination of these materials. This commonality can be often found in the architectural composition. However, in the interior composition, the choice and application of different materials were clear between three countries, which were shown to be different depending on climates, processing methods and living culture of each country. First of all, since each country selected materials under the influence of its own vegetation and climates, living environment of each country could be seen via its residence. Also, it could be seen that while Korea and Japan show a certain similarity such as the traits of standing-sitting culture and the finish of paper in the interior, China is clearly different. In particular, regarding the material processing, the artificial processing was minimized in Korea, which mainly gave rough and crude feelings while due to the use of straight timbers, the architectural representation with organized and refined feelings was made in Japan. China showed the highest percentage of artificial processing of materials among three countries, which was highly associated with the coloring culture of China. Also, it could be seen that technology related to fine architectural materials such as bricks and glass was greatly advanced in China. Thus, how immaterial elements such as natural characteristics, functionality and aesthetics were applied in relation to residence in Korea, Japan and China could be determined through the comparison of architectural materials.

• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.98
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• pp.226-241
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• 2020

Located on the right side of the third floor of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the "Art of Central Asia" exhibition boasts the world's finest collection of artworks and artifacts from the Silk Road. Every item in the collection has been classified by region, and many of them were collected in the early twentieth century through archaeological surveys led by Russia's Pyotr Kozlov, Mikhail Berezovsky, and Sergey Oldenburg. Some of these artifacts have been presented around the world through special exhibitions held in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Korea, Japan, and elsewhere. The fruits of Russia's Silk Road expeditions were also on full display in the 2008 exhibition The Caves of One Thousand Buddhas - Russian Expeditions on the Silk Route on the Occasion of 190 Years of the Asiatic Museum, held at the Hermitage Museum. Published in 2018 by the Shanghai Chinese Classics Publishing House in collaboration with the Hermitage Museum, Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia introduces the Hermitage's collection of artifacts from the Kuche (or Kucha) region. While the book focuses exclusively on artifacts excavated from the Kuche area, it also includes valuable on-site photos and sketches from the Russian expeditions, thus helping to enhance readers' overall understanding of the characteristics of Kuche art within the Buddhist art of Central Asia. The book was compiled by Dr. Kira Samosyuk, senior curator of the Oriental Department of the Hermitage Museum, who also wrote the main article and the artifact descriptions. Dr. Samosyuk is an internationally renowned scholar of Central Asian Buddhist art, with a particular expertise in the art of Khara-Khoto and Xi-yu. In her article "The Art of the Kuche Buddhist Temples," Dr. Samosyuk provides an overview of Russia's Silk Road expeditions, before introducing the historical development of Kuche in the Buddhist era and the aspects of Buddhism transmitted to Kuche. She describes the murals and clay sculptures in the Buddhist grottoes, giving important details on their themes and issues with estimating their dates, and also explains how the temples operated as places of worship. In conclusion, Dr. Samosyuk argues that the Kuche region, while continuously engaging with various peoples in China and the nomadic world, developed its own independent Buddhist culture incorporating elements of Gandara, Hellenistic, Persian, and Chinese art and culture. Finally, she states that the culture of the Kuche region had a profound influence not only on the Tarim Basin, but also on the Buddhist grottoes of Dunhuang and the central region of China. A considerable portion of Dr. Samosyuk's article addresses efforts to estimate the date of the grottoes in the Kuche region. After citing various scholars' views on the dates of the murals, she argues that the Kizil grottoes likely began prior to the fifth century, which is at least 100 years earlier than most current estimates. This conclusion is reached by comparing the iconography of the armor depicted in the murals with related materials excavated from the surrounding area (such as items of Sogdian art). However, efforts to date the Buddhist grottoes of Kuche must take many factors into consideration, such as the geological characteristics of the caves, the themes and styles of the Buddhist paintings, the types of pigments used, and the clothing, hairstyles, and ornamentation of the depicted figures. Moreover, such interdisciplinary data must be studied within the context of Kuche's relations with nearby cultures. Scientific methods such as radiocarbon dating could also be applied for supplementary materials. The preface of Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia reveals that the catalog is the first volume covering the Hermitage Museum's collection of Kuche art, and that the next volume in the series will cover a large collection of mural fragments that were taken from Berlin during World War II. For many years, the whereabouts of these mural fragments were unknown to both the public and academia, but after restoration, the fragments were recently re-introduced to the public as part of the museum's permanent exhibition. We look forward to the next publication that focuses on these mural fragments, and also to future catalogs introducing the artifacts of Turpan and Khotan. Currently, fragments of the murals from the Kuche grottoes are scattered among various countries, including Russia, Germany, and Korea. With the publication of this catalog, it seems like an opportune time to publish a comprehensive catalog on the murals of the Kuche region, which represent a compelling mixture of East-West culture that reflects the overall characteristics of the region. A catalog that includes both the remaining murals of the Kizil grottoes and the fragments from different parts of the world could greatly enhance our understanding of the murals' original state. Such a book would hopefully include a more detailed and interdisciplinary discussion of the artifacts and murals, including scientific analyses of the pigments and other materials from the perspective of conservation science. With the ongoing rapid development in western China, the grotto murals are facing a serious crisis related to climate change and overcrowding in the oasis city of Xinjiang. To overcome this challenge, the cultural communities of China and other countries that possess advanced technology for conservation and restoration must begin working together to protect and restore the murals of the Silk Road grottoes. Moreover, centers for conservation science should be established to foster human resources and collect information. Compiling the data of Russian expeditions related to the grottoes of Kuche (among the results of Western archaeological surveys of the Silk Road in the early twentieth century), Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia represents an important contribution to research on Kuche's Buddhist art and the Silk Road, which will only be enhanced by a future volume introducing the mural fragments from Germany. As the new authoritative source for academic research on the artworks and artifacts of the Kuche region, the book also lays the groundwork for new directions for future studies on the Silk Road. Finally, the book is also quite significant for employing a new editing system that improves its academic clarity and convenience. In conclusion, Dr. Kira Samosyuk, who planned the publication, deserves tremendous praise for taking the research of Silk Road art to new heights.