• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.24-48
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• 2022

Bronze mirrors found in pagodas were regarded as simple offerings and thus have received little attention in studies. Furthermore, the few studies on bronze mirrors enshrined in pagodas have focused on the line-engraved mirrors found in the pagodas of the Kingdom of Wuyue; therefore, it is difficult to understand the general characteristics of the bronze mirrors enshrined in the pagodas. This study assumes that the bronze mirrors found in many pagodas in the Kingdom of Wuyue and the Song dynasty were enshrined for a specific purpose. To explore this assumption and accurately understand the artifacts, this study focuses on the location and method of enshrinement. The number of bronze mirrors enshrined in pagodas increased during the Kingdom of Wuyue, with the mirrors expressing statues and inscriptions related to Buddhism rather than being simple offerings. This shows that the purpose of the bronze mirror changed. The influence of the Kingdom of Wuyue continued during the Song dynasty; however, the pattern of bronze mirror enshrinement changed due to the culture and social atmosphere of the time. The most common types of enshrined bronze mirrors were plain, and bronze mirrors from the Dang dynasty were also used consistently. Plain bronze mirrors were used more frequently in this period despite the lingering influence of the Kingdom of Wuyue because it was less laborious to engrave images and inscriptions such as the inscription of Buddha. Additionally, bronze mirrors were valued during this period because of the attention toward the imitation of the archaic bronze(仿古銅器) of the Song dynasty and the influence of the emperor. Moreover, it is believed that bronze mirrors were enshrined in pagodas as offerings as they were deemed valuable at the time. There was a change in the method of enshrining bronze mirrors in pagodas during the Kingdom of Wuyue and the Song dynasty. During this time, bronze mirrors that were positioned on the floor or in iron boxes were intentionally attached to walls or hung from the ceiling. This method was largely divided into two types: attaching to walls or the ceiling(嵌入鏡) and hanging from the ceiling(懸鏡). A typical example of hanging a bronze mirror from the ceiling can be seen in the Jingzhisa Temple Pagoda, and Teng County's Fushengsa Temple Pagoda contains an example of attaching a bronze mirror to the ceiling. The methods of hanging or attaching bronze mirrors to the ceiling were closely related to the methods employed in Chinese tombs. Song dynasty burial chambers had a high and wide structure, so to defend against evil spirits(辟邪用), bronze mirrors were used to protect the burial rooms. Bronze mirrors were, therefore, placed high to illuminate the burial room. This was achieved in the ways mentioned above. As underground chambers became wider and higher, mirrors also protected the important areas of the chambers and illuminated the interiors. Thus, it is believed that the methods of enshrining bronze mirrors in the pagodas during the Kingdom of Wuyue and the Song dynasty arose from the method of enshrining bronze mirrors in tombs at the time. Thereafter, pagodas, such as the Miaojuesa Temple Pagoda, in which the placement of a bronze mirror was actively considered from the design stage were constructed.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.39
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• pp.281-314
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• 2006

Several explanations exist about the usage of disk-shaped bronze implements in the ancient society. Some argue that they were used as mirrors, others suggest percussion instruments, and still others bronze ornaments. Differences between disk-shaped bronze implements and mirrors with multiple knobs are that the former have no visible design, only one handle, and a sharp curvature unlike the latter with smooth curvature. The question is whether disk-shaped bronze implements excavated from Korean peninsula have any light reflecting function. To answer this question, I carefully studied the concave surfaces of disk-shaped bronze implements excavated from Goejeong-dong, Tongso-ri and Hapsong-ri sites. The main findings are as follows: (1) The concave sides of the disk-shaped bronze implements excavated from Goejeong-dong and Tongso-ri sites were highly polished, and they were as reflective as bronze mirrors. (2) The concave side of the disk-shaped bronze implement from Hapsong-ri site was unpolished, and it was different from bronze mirrors. (3) As for the convex sides of the disk-shaped bronze implements, they did not appear to have been polished with care. Considering the above findings, the disk-shaped bronze implements excavated from Goejeong-dong and Tongso-ri sites belong to the stage where they could act as both mirrors and instruments. On the contrary, the disk-shaped bronze implement from Hapsong-ri site can belong to the stage where it lost the function of being a mirror as the result of maintaining only its function as an instrument. Even though disk-shaped implements had two functions, it can be considered that the light reflecting function expanded the role of a mirror with multiple knobs and the sound function helped the engraved round bronze implement to be converted into an eight-armed bronze rattle. Since it has been reported that shamans used bronze mirrors as percussion instruments in their performances in Korean peninsula and Siberia, I propose a reconsideration of the usage of mirrors in the ancient East Asia. Although the essential function of a mirror is to reflect light, other possible usages involving important functions need to be further investigated.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.142-171
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• 2019

The dragon is an imaginary animal that appears in the legends and myths of the Orient and the West. While dragons have mostly been portrayed as aggressive and as bad omens in the West, in the Orient, as they symbolize the emperor or have an auspicious meaning, dragons signify a positive meaning. In addition, as the dragon symbolizes the emperor and its type has been diversified considering it as a divine object that controls water, people have tried to express it as a figure. The records related to dragons in the Goryeo dynasty appeared with diverse topics in 'History of Goryeo' and are generally contents related to founding myths, rituals for rain, and Shinii (神異), etc. The founding myth emphasizes the legality of the Goryeo dynasty through the dragon, and this influenced the formation of the dragon's descendants. In addition, the ability to control water, which is a characteristic of the dragon, was symbolized as an earth dragon related to the rainmaking ritual, i.e., wishing for rain during times of drought. Since the dragon was the symbol of the royal family, the use of the dragon by common people was strictly restricted. Furthermore, the association of a bronze dragon mirror with the royal family is hard to be excluded. The type and quantity of bronze double dragon mirrors discovered to have existed during the Goryeo dynasty is great, and the production and the distribution of bronze mirrors with double dragons seem to have been more active compared to other bronze mirrors, as bronze mirrors with double dragons produced during Goryeo and bronze mirrors originating in China were mixed. Therefore, in this article, the characteristics of diverse bronze mirrors from the 10th century to the 14th century in China were examined. It seems that the master craftsmen who produced bronze mirrors with double dragons during the Goryeo dynasty were influenced by Chinese composition patterns when making the mirrors. Because there were many cases where a bronze mirror's country of origin could not easily be determined, in order to identify the differences between bronze double dragon mirrors produced during the Goryeo dynasty and bronze mirrors produced in China, meticulous analysis was required. Thus, to ascertain that Goryeo mirrors were not imitations of bronze mirrors with double dragons originating in China but produced independently, the mirrors were examined using the bronze double dragon mirror type classification system existing in our country. Bronze mirrors with double dragons are classified into three types: Type I, which has the style of the Yao dynasty, includes the greatest proportion; however, despite there being only a small quantity for comparison, Types II and III were selected for the analysis of the bronze mirrors with double dragons made in Goryeo because they have unique composition patterns. As mentioned above, distinguishing bronze mirrors made during Goryeo from bronze mirrors made in China is challenging because Goryeo bronze mirrors were made under the influence of China. Among them, since the manufacturing place of the bronze mirrors with double dragons found at the nine-story stone pagoda in Woljeongsa Temple in Pyeongchang is questionable and the composition pattern of the bronze mirror is hard to find on bronze mirrors with double dragons made in China, the manufacturing place of those bronze mirrors were examined. These bronze mirrors with double dragons were considered as bronze mirrors with double dragons made during the Goryeo dynasty adopting the Yao dynasty style composition pattern as aspects of the composition pattern belonged to Type I, and the detailed combination of patterns is hard to find in mirrors produced in China.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.767-777
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• 2021

This study analyzed the microstructures and chemical composition of three samples of bronze mirrors excavated in the Jeollanam-do region, particularly Goheung and Damyang. Under x-ray irradiation, the analysis results confirmed the broken parts and pores caused by cracks, casting, and corrosion. Major and minor elemental analysis were performed on three mirrors by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS) and Inductively coupled plasma mass spe ctrome try (ICP-MS). The re sult shows that the bronze mirrors containe d Cu-Sn-Pb alloys. Alpha phase and eutectic phase were observed in the microstructure, confirming that the casting was performed without additional heat treatment. Notably, Three bronze mirrors were made early Three Kingdoms period in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.164-183
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• 2021

This article examines how the production technology of the Chinese bronze mirror affected the Korean Peninsula and Japan. To that end, we looked at how the drawing of linked-arc designs in bronze mirrors was done. The drawing technique is classified into three methods: Type 1 and type 2 were confirmed to have been used in China, but type 3 was used not in China, but on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan. Type 1 and type 2 are basically the same, with an identical restored diameter of the linked-arc design, and type 2 is found elsewhere in the bronze mirror, and type 1 are not. Type 3 features different diameters, and the linked-arc design does not form a complete circle. This shows that the manufacturer of the bronze mirror did not use several bumpy compasses, but rather a single one with a fixed center and protrusion, rather than one that can be easily adjusted, as it is today. That is why, of course, a pair of compasses must have been used several times. In this regard, those who produced bronze mirrors on the Korean Peninsula in the early days understood not only the Chinese techniques of the linked-arc design, but also the meaning contained within them. On the other hand, the makers of bronze mirrors in Japan did not understand the patterns and simply imitated them. From the late Yayoi period, Japan understood and produced works with the principle of drawing the linked-arc design. As a representative example, bronze mirrors excavated from the tomb of Hirabaru can be referenced. Perhaps it can be assumed that, behind these works, there was a direct transfer of technology, such as the migration of the makers of bronze mirror makers like the Do family (陶氏), whose names were found written on bronze mirrors excavated from the Hirabaru tomb.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.22
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• pp.87-98
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• 2008

Microstructures and chemical compositions of 24 bronze mirrors recovered from the Korean peninsula were examined using the scanning electron microscope equipped with the energy dispersive spectrometer in an effort to characterize the treatments applied on their surface. Their provenance and chronology are mostly unspecified except for two objects from a Koryo burial site. In antiquity the surface of bronze mirrors was frequently finished by mere polishing when their tin content was high enough to guarantee the required reflectivity. In many cases, however, their surface was given a special treatment. The most typical treatment was to coat the surface with tin in two different processes referred to as wipe-tinning and amalgam-tinning. In wipe-tinning only tin was used, but in amalgam-tinning tin and mercury were used together. The surface was often coated with mercury in a process known as mercury-polishing. The present mirrors showed that all these techniques were in fact practiced, not only on the reflective surface but, in some cases, on the decorative surface. The detection of mercury played a crucial role in the assessment of a specific technique applied in each mirror. Mercury often remained in the substrate in the form of sulfide and thereby allowed the method of surface treatment to be estimated even when the coated layer was completely lost. The future study is expected to uncover the regional and temporal variation of the surface treatments to the better understanding of bronze mirrors with respect to provenance and chronology.

• 보존과학연구
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• s.32
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• pp.155-170
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• 2011

This study intended to identify the ratio of alloy, metallographic examination and hardness on the bronze mirrors excavated in Korea and made the distribution chart of the main components according to each artifact and then tried to compare the ratio of artifacts with that of 鑑燧之齊of Zhouli Kaogongji(周禮, 考工記). Through this research, the components distribution of bronze covered a wide rage but it can be divided into 2~3 groups. When it is categorized into 3 groups, one is the bronze mirror with 70-80% of copper, 15-20% of tin and less than 5% of lead. Another is the bronze mirror with 20%-30% of tin which gives the white luster on metal and the high hardness. The other is the bronze mirror with 60-70% of copper and 15-20% of tin but it has more than 10-15% of lead which causes less luster and the low hardness. It contains less tin than 33%(50%) of tin from 鑑燧之齊 according to the old record Zhouli Kaogongji(周禮, 考工記) of Zhou Dynasty. In Korea the bronze mirror with tin of 鑑燧之齊was never found yet except the case of artifacts analyzed by non-destructive analysis.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.206-225
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• 2019

This paper examines the trade and development aspects of glass mirrors through the literature records of the Joseon Dynasty, and studies the characteristics of existing glass mirror crafts by referring to the terms and types shown in the literature. The glass mirror in the records had called western mirrors(西洋鏡, 洋鏡), glass mirrors(玻璃鏡, 玻瓈鏡), stone mirrors(石鏡), etc. Glass mirrors were imported mainly through trade with Russia and the Qing Dynasty since the 17th century and were banned from importation in the late Joseon Dynasty. These mirrors were something new that caused a great stirring in Joseon society in the 18th century, and in the 19th century, it grew larger as a commodity needed for everyday life, especially with trade with Japan. At that time, glass mirrors were used for various purposes, such as installing large glass at a store, which were not the standard mirror usage of confirming one's appearance. These mirrors surprised Koreans in Joseon who experienced them at Yanjing Liulichang(燕京 琉璃廠) in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a result, the demand for glass mirrors rapidly increased and quickly surpassed that of bronze mirrors. Consequentially, new crafts using glass mirrors instead of bronze mirrors in Joseon began to be produced and used after the 18th century. In particular, integrated flat boards of glass mirrors were developed as crafts used indoors. It was convenient to use the hair comb box, a long-time presence in Joseon society, with the bronze mirror. This kind of mirror remained apparent in various genre paintings, including the Taepyeong Seongsido(太平城市圖, 'A Thriving City in a Peaceful Era') collected the National Museum of Korea which reflect its populism of the times. Also, the Mirror Stand(鏡臺) used in the Qing Period was produced in Joseon, but there was a difference in the way of making the drawers and box shapes between two nations. On the other hand, the Face Mirror(面鏡) was made to look at the face. Various crafts made with the aesthetic sense of Joseon, such as the ox horn inlaying craft technique, were produced with auspicious designs. In the 19th century, glass mirrors were imported from European countries, such as France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, however after the end of the 19th century Japanese crafts were popular. Glass mirrors, which were popular in the Meiji and Taisho eras of Japan, were imported and also the Mirror Screen(鏡屛) using large glass mirrors were used. In particular, the mirror screen had developed wood furniture since the previous time, which were used for banquets and large spaces, such as the drawing room, and were imported from China and Japan. In addition, the western architectural effect of attaching a mirror to the wall was also attempted to adjust the brightness of the space and introduce another image and scenery in the mirror. This was done at Deoksugung Palace's Seokjojeon.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.20
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• pp.23-30
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• 2007

By analyzing the chemical compositions of bronze mirror presumably excavated from Mireuksaji temple site, Iksan, we have surveyed what alloy composition was used in casting the mirror, and also tried to estimate the manufacturing technique of the bronze mirror, through the observation of microstructure, as well as which region$^{\circ}{\emptyset}s$ galena the lead used in the mirror belonged to, by analyzing the ratio of the lead isotope. The content analysis result of bronze mirrors shows that it consists of 68.8 to 73.3wt% of Cu, 21.6 to 24.9wt% of Sn. In particular, the content of Pb of Mireuk 2 and 3 Samples are higher than those of Miruk 4. The observation result of microstructure demonstrates that Mireuk 2 and 3 consist of ${\alpha}$ and ${\alpha}+{\delta}$ eutectoide phase made through casting process. But Mireuk 4 show other process employed, such as quenching though martensite structure. In the analysis result of provenance though the lead isotope ratio, the origin of the used in bronze millers excavated from Mireuksaji temple site is presumed to be from galenas of Japen, like this those, the chemical competition, microstructure, and lead isotope ratio of bronze mirrors excavated from Mireuksaji can be utilized at fundamental data to compare mutually with other remains.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.362-369
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• 2021

In museums, exhibition content focuses mostly on cultural heritage's historical values and functions, but doing so tends to limit visitors' interest and immersion. To counter this limitation, the study developed an experiential media art exhibition fusing bronze mirrors' traditional production technology and modern conservation science. First, for the exhibition system, scientific cultural heritage contents were projected on the three-dimensional (3D) printed bronze mirror through interactions between motion recognition digital information display (DID) and the projector. Then, a scenario of 17 missions in four stages (production process, corrosion mechanism, scientific analysis and diagnosis, and conservation treatment and restoration) was prepared according to the temporal spectrum. Additionally, various media art effects and interaction technologies were developed, so visitors could understand and become immersed in bronze mirrors' scientific content. A user test was evaluated through the living lab, reflecting generally high levels of satisfaction (90.2 points). Qualitative evaluation was generally positive, with comments such as "easy to understand and useful as the esoteric science exhibition was combined with media art" (16.7%), "wonderful and interesting" (11.7%), and "firsthand experience was good" (9.2%). By combining an esoteric science exhibition centered on principles and theories with visual media art and by developing an immersive directing method to provide high-level exhibition technology, the exhibition induced visitors' active participation. This exhibition's content can become an important platform for expanding universal museum exhibitions on archaeology, history, and art into conservation science.