Three Barrel Gun

The Three Barrel Gun is a small firearm made to be carried by an individual soldier. It has three barrels joined to a single handle so that three shots can be fired at once, and it is also called samhyeolchong (三穴銃, 'three-hole gun'). It is 38.2 cm long overall, with a 26 cm barrel and a 12.2 cm handle, and has a calibre of 1.3 cm; it was mainly used as a lethal weapon but was also used for signalling. An inscription on the handle records the date of manufacture, 1593, the twenty-sixth year of King Seonjo of Joseon, together with the quantities of gunpowder and shot and the name of the maker. In the painting 'Daehan jeguk donggado' by Chae Yong-sin, a mounted soldier at the front of the procession can also be seen holding a Three Barrel Gun aloft while marching. Several similar three-barrel guns survive, but this example, with its clear date of manufacture and good state of preservation, is a very valuable artefact both for the study of the history of firearms and as a heritage item of national defence science and technology.

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Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물