“Admiral, we will preserve these swords as a national treasure.”

The “swords of Yi Sun-sin,” a pair of swords engraved with verses by Chungmugong, Admiral Yi Sun-in, were designated as a national treasure. Courtesy of the Cultural Heritage Administration

The “swords of Yi Sun-sin,” embodying the noble spirit and achievements of Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598), will be promoted to national treasures.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on August 24 that it designated a pair of Yi Sun-sin’s swords engraved with the verses of Admiral Yi as a national treasure. The swords were among the “relics related to Yi Sun-sin,” which were designated as a treasure in 1963. The “swords of Yi Sun-sin” designated as a national treasure is composed of four items, two pairs of a sword and a sheath. The two swords, nearly two meters long, are almost identical in size and shape. The base of the blades of both swords are engraved with verses by Yi Sun-sin. On Sword 1 is engraved the verse, “As I swear by the heavens with a three-ja sword, the mountains and rivers tremble (三尺誓天山河動色)” and Sword 2 is engraved with the verse, “I strike with one swing of the sword, and the mountains and rivers are dyed in blood (一揮掃蕩血染山河).” On the tang, the back part of the blade that extends into the handle, are engraved the letters “Made by Tae Gwiryeon and Yi Musaeng in April, Gabo Year (甲午四月日造太貴連李茂生作),” from which we can see when and by whom the swords were made. Gabo year, when the sword was manufactured, refers to 1594 when the nation was battling the Japanese invasion of Joseon in the Imjin War.

The handles of the two swords were made with wood, wrapped in fish skin then painted red. A rectangular metal plate was placed on a part of the handle and wrapped with a black leather string in an X pattern to prevent the handle from slipping when held. The Cultural Heritage Administration said, “The swords have excellent value as an artifact symbolizing the historicity of Chungmugong, and they help to uncover how the Japanese sword-making technology was introduced and applied to the traditional method of sword-making in Joseon.”

The Administration also designated four artifacts as treasures including Kim Jeong-hui’s Bulyiseonrando (orchid painting), which is thought to be the last orchid painting by Chusa Kim Jeong-hui (1786-1856). Bulyiseonrando is regarded as one of Chusa’s major works. An orchid with its flower stalk and leaves come together to represent Chusa’s scholarship and art world. The other three artifacts designated as a treasure were the Yeongsanhoisangdo from Gobulsa Temple in Gijang, a Buddhist painting from the Joseon Era; the Bronze Bell in Bogwangsa Temple, Paju; and Buljo Samgyeong, the three Buddhist Sutras.