Wind Streamer Pedestal of Gyeongbokgung Palace

This pedestal was used in the Joseon period to measure the strength and direction of the wind. According to the Jeungbo Munheon Bigo (an expanded encyclopaedic compendium), the following is known about the wind streamer and its pedestal. Carved from dressed granite, it consists of a base carved with a figure, on top of which stands an octagonal column engraved with cloud patterns. At the centre of the top of the octagonal column is a hole for inserting a flagpole, and beside the column below it a drainage hole was bored so that water would not collect. The length of the flagpole is not certain; a narrow, long streamer was tied to its tip, and the direction in which it flew indicated the wind direction, while the way it fluttered showed the wind's strength. After the reign of King Sejong, observational techniques developed, including measuring rainfall with the rain gauge and gauging the flow of rivers and streams, but it is not known when wind measurement by streamer began. It is clear, however, that it was practised by at least the eighteenth century, and this pedestal, too, appears to date from that century. The Donggwoldo (a painting of the palace complex, held in the Korea University Museum) also depicts a long streamer fluttering atop a wind streamer pedestal, giving an impression of what it looked like at the time. In size, the lower tier is 80.8 cm high and the upper octagonal column 143.5 cm high, making a total height of 224.3 cm. Together with the wind streamer pedestal of Changgyeonggung Palace, this pedestal at Gyeongbokgung Palace is tangible evidence that wind was measured in the Joseon period, and it occupies a pioneering place in the history of meteorological observation.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물