Jang Yeong-sil (Korean: 장영실; Hanja: 蔣
Jang Yeong-sil | |
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Korean name | |
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Hangul | 장영실 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Jang Yeongsil |
McCune–Reischauer | Chang Yŏngsil |
Early years
editJang Yeong-sil's birth is recorded only in the genealogy of the Jang family[1][2] and in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.[3] According to these records, his father, Jang Seong-hwi, was the 8th generation of the Jang family.[4][5] Jang Seong-hwi was the 3rd of 5 brothers and all of the brothers previously were ministers of Goryeo. There are many historical records[6] about his elder brother, Jang Seong-bal, who was born in 1344 and his grave located at Ui-seong in the province of Gyeongbuk. The Annals state that Yeong-sil's mother was a gwangi (gisaeng), assigning them (Yeong-sil and his mother) the social status of gwanno,[7] (a servant in civil service district courts).
Civil service
editJang's fame gained him entry into the royal court at Hanseong (present-day Seoul), where selected commoners displayed their talents before the king and his advisers. Jang met Sejong's expectations in crafts and engineering, and allowed Jang to work as a government official in the palace.[8] The talented scientists recruited under Sejong's new program worked at the Hall of Worthies (집현전;
Astronomical instruments
editSejong's first assignment to Jang was to build a celestial globe to measure astronomical objects. Books obtained from Arabian and Chinese scholars were not complete in their instructions, for these devices could also be used for military purposes. After two months of study, Jang made a spherical device that could perform with mediocre accuracy. In 1433, a year after his first attempt, Jang made an armillary sphere known as the honcheonui (혼천의; 渾天
Iron printing press
editAlthough Ch'oe Yun-ŭi invented the world's first metal printing press in 1234 during the Goryeo period, Sejong asked scientists at Jiphyeonjeon to build a better printing press. In 1434,[15] scientists accomplished building Gabinja (갑인자;
Water clock
editSamguk Sagi records that an office overseeing the use of water clocks had been established during the Three Kingdoms period. The Korean water clock consisted of two stacked jars of water, with water dropping from the top to the bottom at a measured rate. The level of the water indicated the time of the day. This was very inconvenient because a person had to be always be on guard, so that a drum could be banged at each hour to inform the public of the current time.
Self-striking water clocks were not new, having already been invented by the Arabians and the Chinese (in 1091).[18] Upon hearing about the usage of self-striking water clocks in foreign countries, Sejong assigned Jang and other scientists to build a clock emulating such automatic devices. After their initial attempts failed in developing an operational water clock, Jang traveled to China to study the various designs of water clocks. When he returned in 1434, Jang created Korea's first self-striking water clock, the Jagyeokru (자격루), which would mark the hour automatically with the sounds of a bell, gong, and drum, and was used to keep the standard of time in Joseon.[19] This water clock was not preserved well and did not survive; however, reconstructions of the Jagyeokru based on text descriptions have been made.
Circling the clock were 12 wooden figures that served as indicators of time. There were 4 water containers, 2 jars that received the water, and 12 arrows floating inside the lower container. As the water from the upper containers seeped down the pipe to the lower container, one of the arrows would tilt a board filled with small iron balls; a ball would roll down a pipe to a container of larger iron balls. The collision would cause the larger balls to travel down a lower pipe and hit a giant cymbal, announcing the time to the community. A ball would then land on another container, which was part of a complex system of levers and pulleys that moved wooden figures to indicate the time visually.[20]
Sundial
editJang's invention of the water clock saw the start of its use throughout the country, however, these water clocks were very costly. Development of the sundial provided a cheaper and more manageable alternative. Jang, Ichun, Kimjo, and other scientists made Korea's first sundial, the Angbu-ilgu (앙부일구/
Research on weaponry
editWhen Sejong learned of reports that Korean melee weapons were duller and somewhat heavier than those of the neighboring countries, he sent Jang to Gyeongsang Province, where Jang had spent his earlier life developing metal alloys for various weapons and tools. Since Jang used to be a gwanno (관노/
Rain gauge
editThe Korean economy during the Joseon dynasty was agriculturally based and vulnerable to prolonged or consecutively occurring droughts; therefore, there was a need for better ways to manage water. Although rain gauges had been used in ancient Greece and India,[24] Jang invented Korea's first rain gauge in 1441, called cheugugi (측우기/
Water gauge
editTo allow better water management, Sejong asked the scientists to figure out some ways to inform the farmers of the available amount of water; and, in 1441, Jang invented the world's first water gauge, called Supyo (수표/
Expulsion
editJang's extraordinary accomplishments earned him the trust of Sejong. Some government officials were very jealous of Jang, especially when he had achieved so much despite his common origin.
In 1442, Sejong ordered Jang to build a gama, an elaborately decorated Korean sedan chair. The gama broke while Sejong was traveling, and Jang was held responsible. Although Sejong was against the decree, Jang was jailed for an extended period of time and expelled from the royal palace. Later events of Jang's life, including the date of his death, were not recorded.[31] It is unlikely, but possible that Jang Yeong-sil may have died during the reign of Joseon's 7th king, Sejo of Joseon (r. 1455–1468).
Popular culture
edit- Portrayed by Lee Chun-hee in the 2008 KBS2 TV series The Great King, Sejong.
- Portrayed by Im Hyung-joon in the 2012 film I Am the King.
- Portrayed by Kim Seul-gi in the 2015 MBC TV series Splash Splash Love.
- Portrayed by Song Il-gook in the 2016 KBS1 TV series Jang Yeong-sil.
- Portrayed by Choi Min-sik in the 2019 film Forbidden Dream.
Tribute
editOn May 19, 2018, Google celebrated Jang Yeong-sil with a Google Doodle.[32]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The genealogy of A-san Jang-si", book 1, pp.4, 1872, (
牙 山 蔣氏世 譜 卷 之 一 黃 ) - ^ Jonghwa Ahn, Kook-Jo-In-Mool-Ji, 1909,
國 朝 人物 志 v.1, A biographical dictionary of Korea - ^ Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejong Section, 16 September 1433
- ^ Dae-Dong-Woon-Boo-Goon-Ok, 1587,
大東 韻 府 群 玉 - ^ Teun Koetsier; Marco Ceccarelli (5 April 2012). Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms: Proceedings of HMM2012. Springer. p. 87. ISBN 978-94-007-4132-4.
- ^ Moon-Ik-Gong Sillok, 1738
- ^ 백 1987, p. 17.
- ^ 백 1987, pp. 46–49.
- ^ a b Korean History Project Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 백 1987, p. 55.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 56.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 77.
- ^ Indiana University Resources
- ^ Introduction to the Folk Museum Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Glossary of Korean Studies". Archived from the original on 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 63.
- ^ a b Federation of Busan and Technology Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 백 1987, p. 68.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 71.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 72–73.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 75.
- ^ a b c d "똑딱똑딱 소리없는 시계-자격루와 양부일구 (Silent clock tick - jagyeokru adoptive father and one )". Kaeri Web Magazine (Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute). March–April 2002. Archived from the original on May 2, 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- ^ 백 1987, p. 87–91.
- ^ The Culture and Civilization of Ancient India in Historical Outline; Kosambi, 1982
- ^ 백 1987, p. 97.
- ^ Visit Busan Museum Guide[permanent dead link]
- ^ American Meteorological Society press
- ^ "Education About Asia, Vol. 6, #2, Fall, 2001". Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
- ^ Friendly Korea brief on Korean history Archived 2006-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 백 1987, p. 101.
- ^ 백 1987, pp. 108–111.
- ^ "Celebrating Jang Yeong-sil". Google. 19 May 2018.
Sources
edit- 백, 석기 (1987). 웅진위인전기 #11 장영실. 웅진출판사.