Jo Sep 10, 2023
The earth’s orbit around the sun is divided into 24 with a central angle of 15°. The 24 points were given names to be 24 divisions of the year.
Each month has two divisions. Although the dates differ one or two days every year, the central angle, that is, the position of the earth stays the same.
The names of the 24 divisions reflect the experiences accumulated in the course of nature study and life from olden times and the simple desire of our ancestors quite accurately.
Even in present days the divisions give a lot of help in everyday life and organizing agricultural production.
The names Chunbun, Chubun, Haji and Tongji are related to the length of the day and night while Ripchun, Ripha, Ripchu and Riptong refer to the beginning of four seasons.
Sohan, Taehan, Choso, Taeso, etc. describe the degree of coldness and warmth. Usu, Kogu, Sosol and Taesol are associated with the period of rainfall and snowfall.
Kyongchip represents revival of all things after winter while Chongmyong refers to the clearness of the sky.
Soman and Mangjong are directly connected with the farming season.
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Jo Sep 5, 2023
The Mausoleum of King Tongmyong is a tomb of King Tongmyong, the founder of the Koguryo dynasty, situated in Ryongsan ri, Ryokpho District.
The mausoleum was brought to the present site by the movement of the capital of Koguryo to Pyongyang in the fifth century.
It was rebuilt in May, Juche 82 (1993). It stands magnificently as if it was demonstrating the might of Koguryo, which was once a great power, as the mausoleum of the founder king.
It is a stone structure covered with earth facing the south. It has a huge pile of earth, which is 11.5 metres high.
On the four 34-metre-long sides of the bottom part is a platform built of properly faced stones. Around the tomb, some graveside structures are set up on the 5-metre-wide pavement of riverside gravels.
Before the tomb, several structures stand in good order as they were in the days of the Koguryo dynasty.
On the top floor in front of the tomb are a stone table, a stone lantern and two stone sculptures of tiger. Along the right and left sides stand sculptured figures of civil and military officers and their horses. A pair of stone posts and a stone stove are also found there.
Erected in the east on the lower floor are “Monument to Sage King Tongmyong, Founder of the Koguryo Dynasty” and “Historical Monument to Sage King Tongmyong, Founder of the Koguryo Dynasty” written in Chinese character with explanations in Korean. In the west is a building for memorial service and in the south is a gate.
Under the care of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Mausoleum of King Tongmyong was rebuilt wonderfully and it has been in good preservation. It is now making a positive contribution to educating our people in the national pride and dignity and patriotic spirit.
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Jo Sep 1, 2023
National classic “Palhaego” is a book compiled by a realist scholar Ryu Tuk Gong (1748―?) in 1784.
Aiming to rectify the history of Palhae distorted by feudal historians and great-power chauvinists, Ryu Tuk Gong collected and sorted out a large number of books at home and abroad into “Palhaego” in one volume and in one book.
“Palhaego” is divided into several parts ― Kungo about the successive kings, Singo about central government officials, Jirigo about the territory, capital and local areas, Jikkwango about government offices and posts, Uijanggo about costumes of each rank, Mulsango about specialties, Kuksogo about letters sent to Japan, etc.
The book gives many-sided information about the foreign activities, territory, government post system, etc. What is particularly striking among them is it demonstrates that Palhae was a full-fledged sovereign state that succeeded to Koguryo.
The author wrote in the preface, “Where on earth is Tae from? He is surely from Koguryo. …The territory of Palhae right belongs to that of Koguryo.” He highlighted by means of the six letters sent by the kings of Palhae to Japanese kings that Palhae had been founded by the people of ruined Koguryo.
The book contains fairly detailed records indicative of the fact that Palhae was a sovereign state that exercised its sovereignty with dignity.
In addition, it repudiates the former view that Palhae had 60 provinces but proves that it had 62 provinces, and that the territory of Koryohuguk (a state founded by people of ruined Koguryo) belonged to that of Palhae.
In conclusion, “Palhaego” is a very important book that collected and catalogued all materials related to Palhae to rectify the history of Palhae for the first time in the middle ages of our country.
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Jo Aug 2, 2023
“Tonggukjiriji” is a book of history and geography written in 1640 by Han Paek Gyom (1552―1615), one of the early realist scholars. Ascertained in the book are the ancient history and geography, and the territories and the locations of capitals, mountains and rivers, fortresses, etc. of medieval feudal states in our country.
The author employed a new positivist approach for his book. In other words, he clarified the merits and demerits of the existing historical materials and theories and gave his opinion of them in order to give a correct explanation of the history and geography of the ancient and medieval states existed in our country.
The book is largely divided into three parts ― the first part deals with the territory of ancient Korea; the second part ascertains the capital, territory, topography and fortresses in the period of the Three Kingdoms including Koguryo, Paekje and Silla; the third part covers those of Koryo.
The book has extracts of geographical records of ancient and medieval states of our country from documents at home and abroad and the author’s opinion between them, which give correct solutions to a number of main historical and geographical issues.
Based on the historical books by feudal historians who worshipped great powers, “Tonggukjiriji” reveals some incorrectness. However, it deserves to be one of the precious national geographical legacies as it is written in the way of seeking truth from the fact.
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Jo Jul 9, 2023
Sokgakchonmundo is an astronomical chart (constellation drawing) carved on a stone, true to the meaning of the term.
The chart was made between the late fifth century and the early sixth century.
Although the chart does not exist at present, Chonsangryolchabunyajido made at the end of the fourteenth century convincingly demonstrates how profound astronomical knowledge the chart involved.
Chonsangryolchabunyajido was made with a slight adjustment to the rubbed copy of Sokgakchonmundo, which had been lost during a war (invasion of the Tang dynasty) in the Koguryo age as the constellation on the copy was a little different from that in those days.
Sokgakchonmundo shows 1 475 stars grouped on 307 constellations on a large stone about 2 metres long and 1.2 metres wide, drawn with the universe with the Arctic in the centre.
The chart also shows the equator circle, the ecliptic circle, the Arctic Circle, the longitude line and even the Galaxy.
Koguryo’s Sokgakchonmundo is one of the world’s oldest stellar charts and it contains a larger number of stars than an astronomical chart made in China in the middle of the third century.
Sokgakchonmundo is one of the precious cultural legacies that intensively show the high level of astronomical development of Koguryo.
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Jo Jul 6, 2023
“Nongsajiksol” is a book on agriculture where farming methods and experiences suitable for the climatic and soil conditions of our country are comprehensively systematized. It was written by a feudal bureaucrat and scholar Jong Cho (? – 1434) in 1429, hundreds of years from now.
The book has a small amount of information with farming experiences limited to certain areas, but it has a lot of valuable information necessary for farming ranging from preparation of seeds, ploughing and preparation of compost and manure to methods of growing several kinds of grain crops.
In addition, written in the book are use of various kinds of farming tools, methods of manuring, and how to cultivate cereals like millet, foxtail millet, wheat, barley, etc. and legumes such as beans, adzuki beans, mung beans, etc., sesame and buckwheat.
Therefore, the book was republished several times until the later period of the feudal Joson dynasty in order to be widely used in agriculture and consulted for other agricultural books.
Although it has some defects due to the purpose of compilation and the class limitation of the author, “Nongsajiksol”, the oldest of all agricultural books from the middle ages of our country still found, serves as an important historical record for research into the development of farming methods and skills of that time.
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