The Dongtak 銅鐸, traditional Korean bronze bells originated from ancient China, and spread to the Japanese Archipelago through the Korean Peninsula. Employed on a large scale and over a long period of time; their significance lies in the fact that ...
The Dongtak 銅鐸, traditional Korean bronze bells originated from ancient China, and spread to the Japanese Archipelago through the Korean Peninsula. Employed on a large scale and over a long period of time; their significance lies in the fact that their function expanded from being musical instruments to that of ritual paraphernalia and horse trappings. However in many cases, as they were collected the features of unearthed items remained uncertain; in addition, research on bronze bells on the Korean Peninsula has until now been severely hampered by the difficulty of getting information on bronze bells from China and the rarity of survey reports which show the original shape.
This thesis has collected all data on bronze bells uncovered on the Korean Peninsula and endeavors to examine their evolution and expansion process as closely as possible. In particular, attempts to reveal the close relationship between two different types of genealogical objects will be made; those of antique type bronze bells and those of horse bells employed on the Korean Peninsula, and demarcate the attributes that entered the Korean Peninsula through a process of influx, from those original to and internally developed on the Korean Peninsula.
First, this thesis distinguishes Korean bronze bells from antique type bronze bells, horse bells and squared horse bells and then examines their transitions in the different periods designated as Phase I to Phase IV.
In Phase I(4th Century BCE – 1st Century BCE), antique type bronze bells entombed with characteristics of ritual entered the Korean Peninsula for the first time. In Phase II(1st Century BCE – 2nd Century CE), antique type bronze bells and horse bells were used simultaneously while the former started to gradually disappear and the latter appeared more frequently. The antique type bronze bells and horse bells in Phase I - II are bronze products related to burial rites and functioned as such up to that time; in the western part of the Korean Peninsula they are associated with horse harnesses and in the mid and the southern areas they are unearthed with ceremonial objects; consequently, localized differences can be identified.
In Phase III, only horse bells were employed. Compared to Phase II, more varied shapes of bell waists (taksin) and compound decorative designs appear; mostly in horse harnesses in the central and the southern parts of the peninsula. In Phase IV(5th Century CE - 6th Century CE), horse bells of the same shapes as before but larger have been confirmed in gigantic tombs in the south-eastern part of the peninsula; also squared horse bells begin to appear, as they are easily produced and more practical than horse bells in decorative designs and shapes.
Moreover, apart from the Korean Peninsula, this thesis examines and infers about the spread of bronze bells in Northeast China and Northern Kyushu, through roughly reviewing and comparison. Due to the influence of niuzhong 鈕鐘 burial vessels in northeast China, antique type bronze bells in Phase I - II can be inferred to originate from the Liaoning area. Antique type bronze bells of the Korean Peninsula typically have a hyeongjigong 型持孔 in their forms and positions and differ in many ways from Chinese dongling 銅鈴. This shows that bronze bells on the Korean Peninsula were produced with uniform molds. During Phases II - III many horse bells were discovered in Shandong Province, China and it can be seen how they entered the western part of the Korean Peninsula during the Nangnang period, and later expanded to the southern part of the peninsula. Furthermore, the large horse bells appearing during Phase IV share attributes with dongling uncovered from the Sandaowan Tombs 三道灣墓地 in Inner Mongolia and bronze bells unearthed at Gaotaizi 高臺子 in the Liaohe Basin. In addition, horse bells molds have not yet been confirmed on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, it is highly probable that horse bells from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty were imported and used as whole items.
By this process, bronze bells produced in the Korean Peninsula spread to northern Kyushu in Japan and they have a connection to the neunghwannyusik dongtak 菱環鈕式 銅鐸 (bronze bells with diamond-shaped rings and dots), a unique type in Japanese bronze bell culture. From the end of the early Yayoi to the first half of the mid Yayoi Period, 2nd Century BCE Korean antique type bronze bells from Ipsil-ri in Gyeongju and Hapsong-ri in Buyeo circulated in Japan. Later, Japanese bronze bells added gi 鰭 to the bell-waist 鐸身 and to dots 鈕. As a result of this, the waist-size of bells and scale of decorative designs were enlarged to form a unique Japanese bronze bell culture, distinct from that of the Korean Peninsula.
[Keywords] dongtak (銅鐸 bronze bell), matak (馬鐸 horse bell), niuzhong (鈕鐘 dots on bells), dongling (銅鈴 small bronze bell), joseonsodongtak, typology, transition, review and comparison