Rain Gauge Pedestal of Gwansanggam (Bureau of Meteorology)

The Rain Gauge Pedestal of Gwansanggam (Bureau of Meteorology) was used in the Joseon period to hold a rain gauge for measuring rainfall; only the stone pedestal now survives. The rain gauge was invented in 1441, the twenty-third year of King Sejong, the first of its kind in the world, and from the following year rainfall measurement was carried out nationwide. This was a groundbreaking fifteenth-century invention that overcame the earlier, unreliable method of trying to gauge rainfall from how much had soaked into the ground. The cylindrical gauge itself, made of iron, was set upon a stone base for use. The pedestal is a rectangular block of granite 87.6 cm high, 59.7 cm deep and 94.5 cm wide, with a hole 16.5 cm in diameter and 4.7 cm deep bored into its centre to hold the gauge upright. Although the rain gauge itself was lost, probably during wartime, this pedestal remains a precious relic confirming that the instrument once existed. Dating from the reign of King Sejong, it originally stood in the grounds of Maedong Elementary School in Seoul and has since been moved to the National Meteorological Museum.

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Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물