Korean history through art, Part II

Okay, kids, time to bore you more with Korean history. Again, photos from the same folk museum as previous post. Eras covered:

• Goryeo, 918 - 1392, capital at Kaesong (35 miles north of Seoul, in North Korea)
  
• Joseon, 1392 - 1910, capital at Hanseong (Seoul)
  

Goryeo commoner women ironing laundry by striking it on a flattening board.

A Goryeo Buddhist shrine, with Amidabha in the middle, Kwan Yin on the left, and a third being I can't identify on the right.

The production and printing of Tripitaka Koreana, the most faithful inscription of Buddhist texts anywhere in the world. Goryeo undertook this project for some divine protection from the Mongol invasion - which didn't work out. Tripitaka Koreana still exists in its entirety, however, and I hope to cover it during my road trip.

Goryeo fashion.

Goryeo's world-famous blue celadons.

Joseon is represented by a series of miniatures. This one shows the inauguration of a new king at Gyeongbok Palace, the most important of Seoul's five palaces.

There were 27 kings in total for Joseon, from 1392 to 1910 (though the last two were really emperors instead). The average king of Joseon didn't live to see his 44th birthday, and all government functions would stop from the death of one king to the inauguration of a new king.

Joseon fashion.

Ceremony marking Buddha's Birthday (lunar April 8th).

These villagers are playing a game of "yut" - a very social game between two teams. The object of the game: to bring four pieces around the board and back to the origin. Instead of dice, four special sticks are used to advance each piece one to five places (or one backward as well, in modern games). Yut is still played today at family gatherings on major holidays.

A performance by a performing troupe, called Namsadang. Like Shakespearean theaters, female roles were played by young boys. It was common occurrence for the members of the all-men company to have gay relationships - again, something the Confucio-Christian historians would rather have you forget.

The practitioners of Korean shamanism are called "mudang," and are always female. Women become mudang by being possessed by the spirits - rarely by choice. The mudang have traditionally occupied lower ranks of the society, despite all their powers. Here's another fact the Confucio-Christian historians don't want you to know: some mudang were transgender women.

Here, a mudang is making her sacrifices to the various spirits.

Before the introduction of Western-style education, this is how young Korean boys started their education - at a village schoolhouse called "seodang." They learned how to write Chinese characters, by memorizing a Chinese poem consisting of 1,000 unique characters, known as Cheonjamun in Korean. Due to the notorious difficulty of Chinese characters, only male nobility ever learned to read and write until modern times.

The gift shop has various wooden miniature models of Korean and other motifs for sale, to be assembled at home. (Boys are encouraged to buy these and assemble them with their fathers.) This is the Turtle Ship. Cost is 20,000 won, or USD $20.

Speaking of the Turtle Ship, I am being told that I can find replicas of Korean Turtle Ships in the Western world as well - including in Washington, DC and in London. I'll look for them the next time I visit those cities.

Next up: Korean royal gardening!