Hyeonja Chongtong Gun (1986)

Yutongsik hwapo, cannon fired by manually igniting a fuse, were divided into four types according to their size, the amount of gunpowder used and their range, and were named after characters from the Thousand Character Classic as the Cheonja, Jija, Hyeonja and Hwangja Chongtong. This piece is the heavy weapon ranked third in size among them. It was found in Gohyeon Bay in Geoje County, South Gyeongsang Province, and measures 95 cm in overall length, with a barrel length of 60 cm and a muzzle diameter of 7.5 cm. The powder chamber, where the gunpowder is loaded, is slightly thicker than the barrel body, and the touch hole is bored on the right side of the chamber. It fired both arrows (chadaejeon) and round iron shot (cheolhwan). Hyeonja Chongtong cannon began to be made from the reign of King Taejong of Joseon, and the inscription remaining on the powder chamber of this piece shows that it was made in 1596, the twenty-ninth year of King Seonjo. In Yi Sun-sin's Nanjung ilgi (War Diary), he records making extensive use of this type of cannon at the Battle of Myeongnyang, where he defeated 133 Japanese warships with only twelve ships of his own. Although it lay on the seabed for a long time, it has retained its original form, and the inscription carved on the powder chamber remains intact, so it is highly valued both for the study of the development of Korean firearms and as a heritage item of national defence science and technology.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jinju, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물