Sword with Ring Pommel

A hwandudaedo is a ring-pommel sword with a round ring at the end of the hilt, and swords of this kind are mainly excavated from tombs of the Three Kingdoms period. Various decorations were set within the ring, indicating the status of the person who used the sword; among these, swords carved with dragons were used by people of the very highest status. This sword with a ring pommel consists of a gold hilt and an iron blade. The two parts are now separated, but were originally joined together. The entire surface of the hilt is carved with two intertwined dragons, and two dragons are also carved inside the ring, their eyes inlaid with jade. Only the iron part of the blade survives, but it is relatively well preserved in its original form. Ring-pommel swords of this kind have mainly been excavated from Silla tombs, and the lavishness of the dragon design suggests that the user was an aristocrat of very high status.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물