Old Bronze Bell of Bosingak Pavilion

This bell was cast during the Joseon period and, until 1985, was rung at Bosingak Belfry on Jongno in Seoul to mark the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony. It was made in 1468, the fourteenth year of King Sejo, and originally hung at Jeongneungsa Temple within Jeongneung Royal Tomb, the tomb of Queen Sindeok; when that temple was closed, the bell was moved to Wongaksa Temple, and after the Japanese invasions of the 1590s it was kept in a bell tower. In 1895, the thirty-second year of Emperor Gojong's reign, a plaque reading 'Bosingak' was hung on the bell tower, and from then on the bell came to be called the Bosingak Bell. It is now kept within the grounds of the National Museum of Korea. Standing 367.1 cm tall with a mouth diameter of 223.6 cm and weighing 19.66 tonnes, it is a large bell in the typical form of early Joseon bells. It has no sound tube, and instead two dragons serve as the hanging loop. From the shoulder to the middle of the body the surface curves gently, while from the midpoint down to the mouth it runs in a straight line. Three thick bands encircle the body, and two narrower bands at regular intervals encircle the area above the mouth; a long inscription is also present, from which the date of the bell can be determined. In particular, on the upper part of the body traces can be seen of a standing bodhisattva figure that appears to have been deliberately removed after the bell was moved from its temple. Although the bell has suffered damage to its original form through two fires, and its sound has also changed somewhat, its inscription survives, making it valuable material, a royally commissioned bell of the Joseon period whose casting date can be determined with certainty.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물