The Japan Times, Dec. 15, 2005
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA - Bridging cultural currents
By YOKO HARUHARA

SEOUL -- It has long been known, though usually not mentioned in public
discourse in Japan, that Korea has played a vital role in the
transmission of Chinese culture to the country, starting with the
introduction of Buddhism in 538. As of Oct. 28, the 60th anniversary of
Korea's National Independence Day, South Korea now has a new museum, the
National Museum of Korea, that explores the country's wider cultural
influences.
[image] Interior of the new National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South
Korea PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

Not only does the museum -- which took eight years to build -- celebrate
Korea's artistic heritage, but in an attempt to document the full sweep
of Silk Road culture, it also places its art and artifacts squarely in
the context of greater Asian civilization. To that end, and perhaps
surprisingly for a national museum, the collection includes artifacts
from China and Japan, as well as places as distant as Central Asia and
Indonesia.

Seunghe Sun, the curator in the Department of Special Exhibitions, told
The Japan Times recently that one of the aims of the museum is to show
the bridge that exists between East Asian cultures. "The continuum of
experiences in these exhibition spaces is designed to offer visitors a
glimpse of the similarities in the art traditions of Korea and Japan
throughout our long history," she said.

Located in Yongsan Family Park in Seoul, the museum -- now the world's
sixth largest, at 300,000 sq. meters -- is scenically sited between the
landmark Namsan Mountain and the Han River. The exhibition space
includes five main spaces: an archaeology gallery, a history gallery,
two fine arts galleries and an Asian art gallery.

[images] Buddhist sculpture of Maitreya (seventh century) similar to one
at the Koryuji Temple in Kyoto; bronze incense burner (sixth/seventh
century) (below) shaped like the Chinese mountain of the immortals

The Asian arts gallery elucidates the connections between the arts and
cultural traditions throughout Asia. One example in the Buddhist
sculpture section is a stunning, seventh-century bronze image of
Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, which is strikingly similar to an
undated sculpture of Maitreya at the Koryuji Temple in Kyoto. The
existence of this statue is just one of many well-documented connections
between the Japanese temple and Korea: Koryuji was built in 603 by Hata
no Kawakatsu, a descendent of immigrants from Korea's Old Silla kingdom
(57 B.C.-A.D. 668).

One of the delightful surprises of the museum is the attention given to
providing beautifully designed and suitably subdued exhibition spaces
for Korea's national treasures. treasures themselves are both a
testament to the sweep of cultural influence throughout Asia, and to the
impact of other Asian cultures on Korea.

For instance, a sixth- or seventh-century mountain-shaped bronze incense
burner, excavated from the Baekje Kingdom's Neungsan-ri monastic site in
1993, is an incredible relic that is a true crowd pleaser, according to Sun.

While similar incense burners made from pottery were common in China
during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), this is the only surviving
example in Korea. The mountain shape derives from a Daoist belief,
originating in China, that paradise is a mountain inhabited by immortals
who possess the elixir of eternal life. The incense burner is divided
into three parts: The base is a series of swirling waves, where a
dragon's head rises dramatically from its base, echoing the sea's
movement; the body is in the shape of a blooming lotus flower, with each
petal adorned with mythical creatures; and the lid is a series of
mountain peaks on which 39 animals and 16 immortals joyfully play. The
elaborate composition is then topped off by a mythical phoenix.

Another magnificent national treasure on display is a crown excavated
from a royal tomb site in Hwangnamdaechong that dates back to the fifth
century. Such ceremonial crowns, symbols of the authority and power of
the king, typically included antler- and tree-shaped decorations. On
this one, the trees and antlers are adorned with small, round golden
leaves and comma-shaped jade pieces.

But the antler/tree combination was not a local one, and the crown and
others like it provide yet another link in the chain of early cultural
exchange in Asia. It is believed that the motif was transmitted from
Eurasian nomads to the Old Silla kingdom, where it came to symbolize a
sacred tree that linked earth with heaven. In this time before the
arrival of Buddhism in Korea, the kings acted as shamans, transmitting
the messages of heaven to their people.

The galleries on the first floor are devoted to archaeology and history
and display artifacts in permanent exhibitions that range from the
Paleolithic Period (prior to 10,000 B.C.) to the Joseon Dynasty
(1392-1910). The archaeology gallery's exhibition spaces span from the
Paleolithic to the Unified Silla (668-935) Period, when Korea was first
unified under King Munmu of Silla. After an eight-year campaign, the
king completed his subjugation of the kingdoms of Goguryeo and Baekje in
668.

Interweaving presentations of Korean history and culture, the displays
provide an excellent historical context for artifacts from these times.
The history gallery houses rooms devoted to the chronological
developments of Korean history, including artifacts and displays that
relate to the written language, the stelae of kings and tomb artifacts.
The exhibit also portrays the political and legal systems of Korean
dynasties and the influence of Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism on
Korean culture.

The museum provides an embarrassing wealth of other archaeological
artifacts as well. One of its most enjoyable aspects is the building's
dramatic use of spaces, in which the artifacts are placed to great
effect. A 10-story stone pagoda (known as a tap in Korean) dated 1348
from the monastic site of Gyeongcheonsa soars 13 meters from its perch
in the museum's atrium. Similar to the brick pagodas of China and the
wooden ones of Japan that were created to hold relics of the Buddha, the
Korean stone pagodas are works of true craftsmanship. Other stone
pagodas dot the landscape of the museum grounds, adding an air of
authenticity to a beautiful series of outdoor public spaces.

The concept for the museum is a radical departure from tradition, since
it provides a forum for exploring Korean art and its heritage in the
context of national and regional history. Museum planners have stressed
the need to actively incorporate an understanding of history into the
process of art appreciation. Furthermore, the facility is not meant just
for viewing. With its libraries, auditoriums, seminar rooms, special
exhibit spaces and research activities, it creates an environment in
which the pursuit of knowledge of Korean, and Asian, arts and culture is
an ongoing process that revitalizes both art and historical studies in
Korea.

The National Museum of Korea is located at 168-6, Yongsan-dong 6ga,
Yongsan-gu Seoul; admission is free through the end of 2005. For more
information visit www.museum.go.kr

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fa20051215a1.htm

 

__________________

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold
(Art-Eastasia list)

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

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