Horn Bow

This bow is said to have been used by Emperor Gojong (r. 1863-1907) of the Joseon dynasty, and to have been made by Jang Mun-hwan, a bowyer of the time. It measures 124 cm in overall length, with a grip width of 3 cm. The traditional Korean horn bow, or gakgung, was renowned and made from a distinctive combination of materials. As its name suggests, it made maximum use of the properties of ox horn, and was composed of six materials: Korean bamboo, water-buffalo horn, ox sinew, mulberry wood, oak, and hwapi, a birch-bark covering. This bow is painted over a layer of hwapi made from cherry bark. The nock at the end where the bowstring is hooked is wrapped in leather, covered with cloth of three colours, and beneath this wrapped in black paper stamped with an "a" (亞)-shaped pattern. Notably, small characters reading "Homi" (虎尾, "tiger's tail") and "Juyeon" (珠淵) are inscribed at the black ends of the bow, a distinctive feature; since "Juyeon" was Emperor Gojong's pen name, this confirms the bow's history as belonging to Gojong. Although the history of the bow in Korea is long, it is not certain when the horn bow first became widely used. However, this horn bow was kept in Seonwonjeon Hall in Hamheung as a relic of King Taejo, Yi Seong-gye, and the Gyeongguk daejeon (National Code) contains a good deal of material on the horn bow, suggesting that the form of the horn bow had already become standardised by the Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Nowon-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산