Heumgyeonggaknu
is a water-hammering type automatic water clock which was made by
Jang Yeong-Sil
in 1438. The water clock that is located in
Heumgyeonggaknu consists of Suho
which is equipped with 2-stage overflow. Constant water wheel power is generated by supplying a fixed amount of water of
Suho to Sususang
, and this power is transferred to each floor at the same time. The 1st floor rotation wheel of
Gasan
consists of the operation structure which has the shape of umbrella ribs. The 2nd floor rotation wheel is made so that the 12 hour signal,
Gyeong-Jeom
signal, and
Jujeon
constitute a systematic configuration. The 3rd floor rotation wheel is made so that the signal and rotation of
Ongnyeo
and four gods can be accomplished. Based on the above conceptual design, this paper analyzed the internal signal generation and power transmission of
Heumgyeonggaknu
.
1. INTRODUCTION
This study revised and supplemented the proceedings data of “2012 International Symposium on Historical Astronomy” (Held in Seoul, Korea, 17-19 May 2012), and added the analysis of internal parts.
The observation of astronomical phenomena (天文) was a critical factor in the King of
Joseon
Dynasty governs the country. A number of astronomical instruments (天文儀器) were used to understand the movements occurring in the sky. As the astronomical instruments of those days were mostly installed in a garden in the palace, it was inconvenient for the King to figure out the time.
1
Hence, the water clock for the King was made by building
Heumgyeonggak
(欽敬閣) pavilion on the western side of
Cheonchujeon
(千秋殿) pavilion and installing
Heumgyeonggaknu
(欽敬閣漏, alias ‘
Ongnu
’) within
Heumgyeonggak
pavilion.
2
In this study, the internal components of
Heumgyeonggaknu
were analyzed based on the record of 『
Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
(朝鮮王朝實錄)』 which introduces the structure of
Heumgyeonggaknu
made by
Jang Yeong-Sil
(蔣英實). Especially, the operation mechanism was systematically examined by presenting the internal parts and configuration as schematic diagrams.
1Sejong sillok, 80:5a:line 11; 且諸器皆設於後苑, 難以時時占察. 2Sejong sillok, 80:5a:line 11~13; 乃於千秋殿西庭, 建一間小閣, 糊紙爲山, 高七 尺許, 置於其中. 內設玉漏機輪, 以水激之.
2. SURVEY OF HISTORICAL RECORDS AND EXTERNAL STRUCTURE
- 2.1 History of Heumgyeonggaknu
Table 1
summarizes the historical records survey of
Heumgyeonggak
and
Heumgyeonggaknu
collected from 『
Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
』, 『
Seungjeongwonilgi
(承政院 日記)』, 『
Gukjobogam
(國朝寶鑑)』, 『
Jeungbo-munheonbigo
(增補文獻備考)』, 『
Sinjeung-donggukyeojiseungram
(新
Records of Heumgyeonggak and Heumgyeonggaknu.*Sejong(世宗),Seongjong(成宗),Jungjong(中宗),Gwanghaegun(光海君),Myeongjong(明宗),Hyojong(孝宗),Yeongjo(英祖),Jeongjo(正祖),Gojong(高 宗),Gukjobogam(國朝寶鑑, Precious mirror for succeeding reigns),Sinjeung Dongguk yeoji seungnam(新增東國輿地勝覽, newly verified survey of the geography of the Eastern Kingdom),Yeollyeosilgisul(燃藜室記述, narratives ofYeolyeosil),Imhapilgi(林下筆記),Jamgokyugo(潛谷遺稿),Gunggwolji(宮 闕志),Jeungbo munheon bigo(增補文獻備考, expanded version of the reference compilation of documents on Korea),Seungjeongwon ilgi(承政院日記),sillok(實錄, Annals of theJoseonDynasty),ilgi(daily records),Yun(閏, intercalary month)
Records of Heumgyeonggak and Heumgyeonggaknu. *Sejong (世宗), Seongjong (成宗), Jungjong (中宗), Gwanghaegun (光海君), Myeongjong (明宗), Hyojong (孝宗), Yeongjo (英祖), Jeongjo (正祖), Gojong(高 宗), Gukjobogam (國朝寶鑑, Precious mirror for succeeding reigns), Sinjeung Dongguk yeoji seungnam (新增東國輿地勝覽, newly verified survey of the geography of the Eastern Kingdom), Yeollyeosilgisul(燃藜室記述, narratives of Yeolyeosil), Imhapilgi (林下筆記), Jamgokyugo (潛谷遺稿), Gunggwolji (宮 闕志), Jeungbo munheon bigo (增補文獻備考, expanded version of the reference compilation of documents on Korea), Seungjeongwon ilgi (承政院日記), sillok (實錄, Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), ilgi (daily records), Yun(閏, intercalary month)
增東國輿地勝覽)』, and individual collection of works.
3
According to the historical records, the
Heumgyeonggak
and
Heumgyeonggaknu
were first mentioned in the 1437 (the 19th year of the reign of King
Sejong
) record of
Sejong Sillok
. This record stated that the
Heumgyeonggak
is located in the western side of
Gyeongbokgung Cheonchujeon
, and explained the external structure of
Heumgyeonggaknu
. The
Heumgyeonggaknu
was completed in January 1438, and King
Sejong
ordered
Kim Don
(金墩, 1385~1440) to compose the writing for record. This record describes the external form and operation structure of
Heumgyeonggaknu
. However, the detailed operation mechanism of the internal structure is not mentioned in this record, but it mentioned the waterhammering method only. The
Heumgyeonggaknu
remained in existence through maintenance and repair, but it was burned down along with
Heumgyeonggak
when there was a big fire at
Gyeongbokgung
palace in 1553 (the 8th year of the reign of King
Myeongjong
). In the following year, the
Heumgyeonggak
was reconstructed in
Gyeongbokgung
palace, but it was again destroyed by fire during Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592 (壬辰倭亂, the 25th year of the reign of King
Seonjo
).
The second reconstruction of
Heumgyeonggak
began in 1613 (the 5th year of the reign of
Gwanghaegun
) (Ahn 2010).
4
The reconstruction was carried out in
Changdeokgung
(昌德宮) palace
Seorinmun
(瑞燐門) gate considering the situation of the times that the
Beopgung
(法宮) was moved to
Changdeokgung
palace and
Changgyeonggung
(昌慶宮) palace. The construction work is processing despite the request of discontinue from
Saganwon
(司諫院, the government office of inspection) and
Saheonbu
(司憲府, the government office of advice) and the
Heumgyeonggak
was completed over a period of 1 year. As there were several records of correction during the reign of King
Gwanghaegun
, it is thought that the water clock was also made and operated in
Heumgyeonggak
. Since then, there was no re cord on
Heumgyeonggak
and
Heumgyeonggaknu
. In 1655 (the 6th year of the reign of King
Hyojong
), there was the record that King
Hyojong
constructed
Mansujeon
(萬壽殿) pavilion at the site of
Heumgyeonggak
to support the Queen Mother (Kim 2002).
5
In 1770 (the 46th year of the reign of King
Yeongjo
), the
Heumgyeonggak
was again mentioned in the record for storing the carved-stone astronomical chart (天象列次 分野之圖,
Cheonsang-yeolcha-bunya-jido
) discovered in
Gyeongbokgung
. However, as the
Heumgyeonggaknu
was not particularly mentioned in the historical records, it is thought that the
Heumgyeonggaknu
was not operated. When the
Gyeongbokgung
was rebuilt over 3 years from 1865 (the 2nd year of the reign of King
Gojong
) to 1868 (the 5th year of the reign of King
Gojong
), the
Heumgyeonggak
was also newly reconstructed, but there was no record on
Heumgyeonggaknu
. In 1876 (the 13th year of the reign of King
Gojong
), the
Heumgyeonggak
was again burned down when there was a
The external form and working mechanism of Heumgyeonggaknu in 「Chronicle of Heumgyeonggaknu」(or 「Heumgyeonggakgi」) (『Sejong Sillok』80:5a:line 5~6a:line 8).
The external form and working mechanism of Heumgyeonggaknu in 「Chronicle of Heumgyeonggaknu」(or 「Heumgyeonggakgi」) (『Sejong Sillok』80:5a:line 5~6a:line 8).
fire at
Gyeongbokgung
. Based on the above historical records, the
Heumgyeonggaknu
which was operated following the tradition of King
Sejong
’s era is estimated to have been used until 1617 (the 9th year of the reign of
Gwanghaegun
).
- 2.2 Structure and Water-hammering Method of Heumgyeonggaknu
The external form of
Heumgyeonggaknu
and the operation of time signal puppets are described in 『
Sejong Sillok
(世 宗實錄)』.
6
The historical records include the specification and working principle of
Heumgyeonggaknu
, Sun movement device, and the detailed operation mechanisms such as the operation of 4
Ongnyeo
I (玉女, jade female immortals) and four gods (神; 靑龍-Blue Dragon, 白虎-White Tiger, 朱雀-Red Bird, and 玄武-Black Tortoise) at the top of the mountain, the operation of
Sibodae
(時報臺, time signal platform) and time signal puppets at the foot of the mountain, the operation of 12
Ongnyeo
II and twelve gods (神; 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, and 亥) on the flatland, and the operation of
Nusudae
(漏水臺, platform of
Uigi
) (
Table 2
).
7
The 1/6 scale model of
Heumgyeonggaknu
was recently restored based on the our detailed analysis regarding the external structure of
Heumgyeonggaknu
(
Fig. 1
).
8
The fixed quantity supply of water and constant speed operating of the water wheel is most important to the waterhammering type water clock. Kim et al. (2011) suggested that a fixed quantity water in
Uigi
(欹器, inclining vessel) which is supplied from southern
Gwanin
(官人, government official)’s golden bottle spilled into
Nusudae
as time passed and this water move into a small vessel which is hanging from the water wheel in
Heumgyeonggaknu
and then this water-filled device is operating
Cheonhyeong system
(天衡, oriental escapement device).
Miniature of Heumgyeonggaknu (1/6 size, 80×60×45(h) cm). 1: Sun apparatus, 2: ecliptic ring and equatorial ring, 3: Ongnu(II) and four gods, 4: Sibodae (Sasin and Musa), 5: Ongnu(I) and twelve gods, 6: Nusudae (Gwanin and Uigi), 7: Gasan
However, a fixed quantity water is already supplied to
Sususang
(授水箱, water receiving small vessel) from the water clock with the overflow function which is installed inside
Gasan
(假山, imitation mountain). Therefore, it is hard to be regarded as a mechanism which again connects
Nusudae
and
Sususang
with
Cheonhyeong
system.
9
Regarding the operation mechanism of water-hammering type
Honsang
, Lee & Kim (2012) recently introduced a mechanism which is controlled by
Cheonhyeong
system when the water of water clock is contained in
Sususang
. The water wheel control method of
Heumgyeonggaknu
(made in 1438) is thought to be similar to the water wheel control method of
Honui
(渾儀, armillary sphere) and
Honsang
(渾 象, celestial globe) (made in 1435) as they were produced in the same period. Kim (2012) suggested that the motif of operation mechanism for this water wheel control is the control method of Chinese water-driven astronomical clock tower (水運儀象臺,
Shui yün i hsiang t’ai
).
3Integrated Database of Korean Classics from the Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics was used. 4Ahn (2010) introduced that 「Heumgyeonggak-yeonggeon-uigwe (欽敬閣營建 儀軌)」 records the reconstruction procedure and result of Heumgyeonggak in 1613, and reported that the Uigwe was kept in Oegyujanggak and burned in a fire by French Navy in 1866. 5Kim (2002) examined 「Changdeokgung-mansujeon-suridogam-uigwe (昌德 宮萬壽殿修理都監儀軌)」, and reported that the Changdeokgung Mansujeon Suridogam was installed on August 4, 1656 (the 7th year of the reign of King Hyojong) and the Heumgyeonggak was pulled down on August 11, 1656. 6Sejong sillok, 80:5a:line 5~6a:line 8; 欽敬閣成。大護軍蔣英實經營之, 其規 模制度之妙, 皆出睿裁, 閣在景福宮燕寢之傍. 上命右承旨金墩, 作記曰: 若 稽帝王發政成務, 必先於明曆授時, 而授時之要, 在於觀天察候, 此璣衡儀表 所由設也。然考驗之方, 極精至密, 非一器一象所能取正. 我主上殿下命攸 司制諸儀象, 若大小簡儀渾儀渾象仰釜日晷日星定時圭表禁漏等器, 皆極精 巧, 夐越前規, 猶慮制度未精 …… 閣旣成, 命臣書其事, 謹述梗槪, 拜手稽 首以獻. 7For the expression and meaning of four gods and twelve gods, refer to pp. 81~82 of Kim et al. (2011). 8In the case of 12 puppets on the flatland in Heumgyeonggaknu, only the puppet which corresponds to the specific time is standing up, and other puppets are lying face down. The scale model in Fig. 1 was made so that every puppet is standing up. 9For the study of Kim et al. (2011), it is hard to be regarded as the key device related with water-hammering type control considering that the Uigi is installed separately as stated in the literature record (Myeongjong Sillok 10:92a:10 ~ 14). (Myeongjong Sillok 10:92a:10 ~ 14; 領觀象監事李芑啓曰 前者, 以欽敬閣欹器, 虛而不欹, 故今改造而進. 然此器, 非但置諸欽敬閣, 乃古聖人 勸戒之器, 常置諸左右, 可注水而觀省也. 荀子畫此器, 而且有臺. 故具臺而進. 傳曰 知道. 此乃聖人勸戒之器, 當置諸坐側而觀省焉. 其貯水器及注水器, 竝 造入之.).
3. ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL COMPOSITION
- 3.1 Haeja and Jujeon
『
Seongjong Sillok
』(May 10, 1493) introduced
Haeja
(海子, water containing large vessel) which is a vessel that supplies water in
Heumgyeonggaknu
. The
Haeja
is made of copper (銅) and iron (鐵). Lead is commonly used for repairing
Haeja
, but the lead is damaged when exposed to water for a long time. In that case, the plank at the bottom decays due to leaking water which causes problem in maintenance.
10
The water contained in
Haeja
is also supplied to pond which is shown in the operation of
Giryun
(機輪, mechanism wheel) and exterior of
Gasan
,
waterfall
, and
Uigi
.
11
The water in
Haeja
is used to induce an automatic striking by triggering
Jujeon
(籌箭, calculating apparatus of stick) of
Heumgyeonggaknu
.
12
The role of
Jujeon
seems to be similar to the rod (hereinafter, ‘
Bujeon
(浮箭, float-rod)’) in
Borugaknu
(報漏閣漏, alias ‘
Jagyeongnu
’). The
Bujeon
of
Borugaknu
rises when the water flows into
Susuho
. The rising Bujeon touches the ball that corresponds to 12-
Si
(時, 1-Si; double hours in modern time), 5-
Gyeong
(更, 1-
Gyeong
; divide night into five equal parts), and 5-Jeom (點, 1-
Jeom
; divide
Gyeong
into five equal parts), which generates the signal for striking the bell, drum, and gong.
No clear explanation exists for the operation of
Jujeon
in
Heumgyeonggaknu
, but it can be summarized as two kinds of views. One hypothesis is that the water inflow from
Haeja
raises the device of
Jujeon
, similar to the
Bujeon
of
Borugaknu
. The inflow of water operates
Jujeon
, and the corresponding ball controls 37 time signal puppets which are located at the top of the mountain, at the foot of the mountain, and on the flatland, and strikes the bell, drum, and gong. However, in this case, there is no need for ‘
Ongnugiryun
(玉漏機輪)’ to be operated in contact with water, and a complicated mechanism would be required which has independent operation device for each floor.
The other hypothesis is that the water from
Haeja
is supplied to the water clock and this water operates the water wheel, and this power is transferred to
Giryun
and raises the device of
Jujeon
. In the power system of
Borugaknu
, the water clock and time signal system operate independently, and these two operation mechanisms are connected by a device called
Bangmok
(方木, narrow wooden casing). The
Bangmok
plays a role in converting the analog flow of water clock to digital signal (Nam 2002). When the water in
Haeja
is sent to the water wheel in
Heumgyeonggaknu
, the digital signal is generated with the use of
Sususang
and
Cheonhyeong
system. The operation of water wheel is not continuous, and plays a role in generating a constant signal. Therefore, the motion of
Giryun
and the rise of
Jujeon
can transfer the power through the rotation of
Giryun
even though there is no inflow of water.
To further add to the above discussion, the reason that the inflow of water supplied from
Haeja
is not likely to move
Jujeon
directly is as follows. First, it is because of the explanation on the operation mechanism called ‘
Ongnu-giryun-sugyeokji
(玉漏機輪水激之)’. For
Gasan
, using a single column as the rotation axis (
Giryun
) is efficient for making the time signal puppets at the top of the mountain, at the foot of the mountain, and on the flatland have a unified motion and signal system. This rotation axis has a constant speed by the constant water wheel torque. In addition, if the movement of
Sibodae
at the foot of the mountain which strikes the bell, drum, and gong is designed to use extra inflow of water, it is difficult to exactly match the motion of time signal puppets at the top of the mountain and on the flatland at the same time. Therefore, in order to accomplish a systematic motion of time signal puppets at the top of the mountain (relevant to the operation of four gods and
Ongnyeo
I), at the foot of the mountain (relevant to the operation of
Sasin
,
Jongin
,
Goin
, and
Jeongin
), and on the flatland(relevant to the operation of twelve gods and
Ongnyeo
II) by rotating
Giryun
with the torque generated from the water wheel, it is best to operate a single
Giryun
.
Hence, the meaning of ‘The water in
Haeja
induces an automatic striking by triggering
Jujeon
.’ stated in the historical records seems to indicate that the water supplied from
Haeja
operates the water wheel, and the water wheel transfers the physical power (mechanical power) to
Giryun
. Accordingly, the power transferred from
Giryun
is transferred from the top of the mountain to the flatland, and it is expected that there existed a device in
Sibodae
at the foot of the mountain that corresponds to the
Bujeon
and
Bangmok
of
Borugaknu
, which automatically regulates the striking number and order. Therefore, the water in
Haeja
stated in the historical records can be understood as the fundamental power which triggers
Jujeon
.
- 3.2 Internal Ball Mechanism and Suho
『
Gwanghaegun Ilgi
』(July 9, 1614) mentioned the operation and trigger of ball that is occurring in
Heumgyeonggaknu
, the contents of largeㆍmediumㆍsmallbronze vessels, the material for
Japsang
(雜像) at the top of
Gasan
, and the information on the rise and set of the Sun and the Moon.
13
First, regarding the operation and trigger of ball, a connecting medium was mentioned which was not presented in the previous explanation of
Haeja
and
Jujeon
. In other words, it presented important contents which reveal the existence and role of ball. The sentence, ‘The vessel is filled with water, the water moves the ball, and the ball strikes the machine (以器盛水, 以水運鈴, 以鈴觸動機械).’ indicates that the water contained in
Sususang
of water wheel is the driving force which operates the ball. This ball triggers a mechanical device, and the mechanical device is thought to be related with
Jujeon
. In addition, it was presented that the tube for the movement of water and ball is made of copper.
For the size of
Suho
which constitutes the water clock, 3 kinds were mentioned as large, medium, and small. The big
Ho
(壺) is thought to be the water supply device, and the medium
Ho
and small
Ho
seem to be the
Suho
which has the overflow function and
Pyesuho
(廢水壺) which receives the overflowed water. Regarding the large, medium, and small
Suho
, Hahn et al. (2000) considered that the medium
Ho
has the overflow function with 3-stage arrangement, and that the
Suho
was located outside
Gasan
due to the size of this 3-stage arrangement. Though the possibility that the water clock was located outside Gasan cannot be completely ruled out, the exact position of water clock is not explained in the record of 「
Heumgyeonggakgi
」(『
Seongjong Sillok
』 January 7, 1438) of King
Sejong
’s era.
In the study of the internal water-hammering type mechanism of
Lee Min-Cheol
’s armillary clock, through the caparison with the Chinese water-driven astronomical clock tower, Park (2011) estimated that the diameter of water wheel was 82.8cm, the number of
Sususang
was 12 or 16, and the size of
Suho
was less than
2-cheok
which are smaller than the Chinese water-driven astronomical clock tower, and that the water wheel rotated 45 times per day. However, the historical record of
Heumgyeonggaknu
stated that ‘5,000 to 6,000
geun
(斤) of bronze’ was used for the water clock, indicating that the size is not small. In this study, the structure was estimated considering both of the two possibilities that the water clock is located inside or outside Gasan. In addition, regarding the water clock configuration of
Borugaknu
, Nam (2002) placed a large water pot at the top, arranged 2-stage (upper and lower, 2 pieces)
Suho
below the pot which has an overflow device at the lower
Suho
, and positioned 1-stage (1 piece)
Pyesuho
which receives the overflowed water. It is expected that this configuration could also be applied to the water clock of
Heumgyeonggaknu
. As for
Heumgyeonggaknu
, considering that the water in
Haeja
is supplied to water clock, it is thought that the
Haeja
corresponds to the large water pot of
Borugaknu
, and there may have been 2-stage
Suho
below
Haeja
. When a fixed amount of water by the overflow device is combined with
Cheonhyeong
system, the water wheel can be controlled at a constant time interval. For example, if the flow speed of water supplied from
Suho
gets slower, the operating time of
Cheonhyeong
also gets slower, and if the flow speed gets faster, the operating time also gets faster. Therefore, it is expected that the water-hammering type water clock which consists of water wheel and
Cheonhyeong
system is generally composed of 2-stage
Suho
with an overflow function and 1-stage
Pyesuho
.
The following is mentioned regarding
Japsang
at the top of Gasan and the Sun and the Moon. It was stated that ‘Among the statues such as the mountain shape of
Gasan
, the form of trees and plants, and
Sasin
(司辰, hour-jack), those made of wood should be wrapped with hemp cloth and lacquered (至於假山山形, 草木之形, 司神等人像物像, 以木造作者, 必須裹布着漆)’. This is the part that showed the material and durability of
Gasan
and
Japsang
. With regard to the movement of celestial bodies, it was stated that ‘The Sun and the Moon rise and set (日月出入)’. However, the presence of Moon is not mentioned in 「
Heumgyeonggakgi
」. The
Heumgyeonggaknu
of King
Sejong
’s era was burned down in 1553 when there was a fire at
Gyeongbokgung
. The
Heumgyeonggak
was reconstructed in 1554, but it was again destroyed during Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. It is thought that the Moon movement function was later added to the
Heumgyeonggaknu
that was newly made in 1614.
10Seongjong sillok, 277:9b:line 8 ~ 10; 海子用銅鐵而罅隙補以鑞鐵, 鑞鐵久沈 於水則必消鑠, 若每令貯水, 則滲漏其下, 板子腐朽, 隨後改板, 勢亦甚難矣. 11Seongjong sillok, 277:9b:line 7 ~ 8; 此閣則有蓮池有欹器又有瀑布, 故常貯水 於海子. 12Seongjong sillok, 277:9b:line 13; 貯水流注激籌箭, 使之自擊. 13Gwanghaegun ilgi, 80:7b:line 9 ~ 14; 閣內凡日月出入、晝夜刻漏遲速, 皆以 機械爲之. 以器盛水, 以水運鈴, 以鈴觸動機械, 故鈴路水道, 皆以熟銅鐵爲之, 已爲鑄成大中小銅器者, 不啻五六千斤. 皆自臣曹, 拮据辦出, 一應采色、銅 鐵之價, 不敢別定於外方, 以貽民弊. 至於假山山形, 草木之形, 司神等人像物 像, 以木造作者, 必須裹布着漆, 然後可保經霾不壞, 以至永久.
4. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF OPERATION MECHANISM
- 4.1 Power Mechanism
Needham et al. (1986) regarded the power which is applied to
Heumgyeonggaknu
as the buoyancy from the inflow of water. In other words, it was considered that the force generated when a buoy is raised acts as torque. This method is characteristic of the water clock devised by Al- Jajari in the 13th century in Islam (Hill 1989). By analyzing the record of 『
Sejong Sillok
』, Kim (2012) suggested that it is more likely to be the water wheel power which rotates at a constant speed, similar to the Chinese water-driven astronomical clock tower that was developed earlier than the one made in Islam. The internal power transmission
Internal Structure of Heumgyeonggaknu. (a) Keys map of Heumgyeonggaknu’s inside. WC: water clock, WW: water wheel, E: escapement, WWS: waste water system, W1: wheel 1 (base), W2: wheel 2 (time signal platform), W3: wheel 3 (top of a mountain). (b) Power supply mechanism of Heumgyeonggaknu (Lee & Kim 2012).
system of
Heumgyeonggaknu
is shown in
Fig. 2
.
Fig. 2
a schematically shows the interior of
Gasan
in
Heumgyeonggaknu
. The water supplied from the water clock (WC) operates the water wheel (WW), and the power generated from the water wheel operates
Giryun
and rotation wheels (W1, W2, and W3). The water used for the operation of water wheel is contained in
Pyesuho
system (WWS) below the water wheel, and this water is again supplied to the water clock. In
Fig. 2
a, the dashed arrow represents the flow of water, and the solid arrow represents the flow of power. The position of water clock is shown considering both the exterior of
Gasan
(WC(out) position) and the interior of
Gasan
(WC(in) position).
Fig. 2
b shows the
Cheonhyeong
system (天衡裝置) which has the escapement device that generates constant power for the water-hammering type operation.
14
The water is supplied from the water clock to
Sususang
of water wheel. In order to let
Sususang
contain a fixed amount of water, a balance device was attached where a weight is hung. Therefore, the water is contained as much as the mass of weight, and the generated power is transferred to the water wheel.
- 4.2 Internal Structure of the Time Signal System
The power transferred to the water wheel rotates the
Giryun
of
Heumgyeonggaknu
once per day. The
Giryun
consists of rotating wheels which constitute the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. The 1st floor rotation wheel (W1) transfers
Keys map of Heumgyeonggaknu’s wheel 1.
power to the 12
Ongnyeo
(II) and twelve gods on the flatland. The 2nd floor rotation wheel (W2) transfers the power to the time signal puppet device of
Sibodae
. The 3rd floor rotation wheel (W3) transfers the power to the 4
Ongnyeo
(I) and four gods. In the uppermost floor, the power is transferred to the Sun movement device.
The 1st floor rotation wheel transfers the operating signal to the
Ongnyeo
(II) and twelve gods (
Fig. 3
). On top of the rotation wheel, the sliding rail and
Geolteok
(raised spot) were installed. The sliding rail is a device which was also used in
Borugaknu
15
and armillary clock (渾天時計) (Kim 2012). Also, the
Geolteok
which has the shape of horizontal rod(‘▅▅▅▅’ shape) was developed based on the fact that the
Sipae
of armillary clock is raised to the time-announcing window and is shown continuously. The
Ongnyeo
(II) and twelve gods were installed at the end of the rods having the shape of umbrella ribs which extend from the central axis so that they can be coupled with the sliding rail and
Geolteok
. For example, at
O-Si
(午時), the
Ongnyeo
is raised with the corresponding
Sipae
by the motion of rotation wheel.
Keys map of Heumgyeonggaknu’s wheel 2.
Among the twelve gods, the
Osin
(午神) which was lying face down stands up at this moment. This posture is maintained until it gets out of
Geolteok
which is on top of the rotation wheel (The
Geolteok
is installed in 30° range from the central axis of rotation wheel).
The 2nd floor rotation wheel transfers the signal to the
Sasin
and 3
Musa
(武士, warrior) (
Fig. 4
). On top of the rotation wheel, the pin-shaped (‘┃’ shape)
Geolteok
is installed at the position of 12-Si, 5-
Gyeong
, and 5-
Jeom
. When the rotation wheel passes
Sibodae
, the 12
Geolteok
which are spaced at an interval of 30° send the operating signal to
Sasin and Jongin
(鐘人, striking bell puppet). The
Sasin
and
Jongin
face each other, and the
Jongin
strikes the bell. At night, the 25
Geolteok
which express the 5-
Gyeong
and 5-
Jeom
send the signal to
Goin
(鼓人, striking drum puppet) and
Jeongin
(鉦人, striking gong puppet). The
Goin
strikes the drum, and the
Jeongin
strikes the gong. The
Sasin
and
Goin
face each other when striking the drum, and the
Sasin
and
Jeongin
face each other when striking the gong. The
Geolteok
signal of 12-Si, 5-
Gyeong
, and 5-
Jeom
generates a ball signal which facilitates the striking system that is similar to
Borugaknu
.
Regarding the method which expresses the
Geolteok
of 5-
Gyeong
and 5-
Jeom
, it seems that the 25
Geolteok
were put in so that they match the seasons or the part of rotation wheel where the
Geolteok
of 5-
Gyeong
and 5-
Jeom
are located was replaced as a package. In addition, it is thought that the
Jujeon
mentioned in 『
Seongjong Sillok
』 is installed in
Sibodae
, strikes the bell-drum-gong using the
Cho
(初, beginnings double hours)-
Jeong
(正, mid-points double hours) signal of wheel 2 and the 5-
Gyeong
and 5-
Jeom
signal, and is involved in the detailed motion of time signal puppets. The mechanism of
Jujeon
seems to have scaled
Keys map of Heumgyeonggaknu’s wheel 3.
down and improved the mechanism of
Bujeon
and
Bangmok
in
Borugaknu
.
The 3rd floor rotation wheel transfers the operating signal to the
Ongnyeo
(I) and four gods (
Fig. 5
). On top of the rotation wheel is the 5 pin-shaped
Geolteok
which shows
Cho
and
Jeong
every hour, and 4 pin-shaped
Geolteok
device which rotates the four gods. This
Geolteok
device moves the gear device of
Ongnyeo
and four gods which are located in the north, south, east, and west. The
Ongnyeo
shakes a small bell in the hand at
Cho
and
Jeong
every hour, and the four gods rotate 90° every hour. The
Geolteok
of rotation wheel is located in 90° range of rotation wheel so that it operates only at the corresponding time.
14Regarding this part, Kim et al. (2011) stated that “by the working mechanism of Nusudae that had the escapement system” (Kim et al. 2011, p.84). However, in the following research, the Nusudae was analyzed as the space which simply accommodates Uigi. Thus, a fixed quantity of water is directly supplied to Sususang of water wheel. 15Sejong sillok, 65:2b:line 12; 則足端鐵輪, 順轉銅板而下.
5. CONCLUSIONS
Heumgyeonggaknu
is an automatic water clock which was installed in
Heumgyeonggak
.
Heumgyeong
(欽敬) is quoted an expression from
Seogyeong
(書經)
Yojeon
(堯 典), ‘Admire as high as the sky, and let the people know the subdivisions of the seasons’.
16
In the 4 directions of
Gasan
in
Heumgyeonggaknu
, the
Binpungdo
(豳風圖, landscape of hard farming work scene) of the 4 seasons and the model of
Japsang
are manufactured. King
Sejong
fulfilled the meaning of
Heumgyeong
by reminding the people’s difficulty in farming through
Binpungdo
and the model of
Japsang
.
In this study, the internal structure of
Heumgyeonggaknu
was inferred as follows. First, the water clock is thought to consist of the
Suho
equipped with 2-stage overflow and the 1-stage
Pyesuho
. Second, the two possibilities that the water clock is located inside or outside
Gasan
need to be considered. Third, in terms of systematic motion, it is efficient to use a single
Giryun
to operate the time signal puppets at the top of the mountain, at the foot of the mountain, and on the flatland. Fourth, the time signal puppets on
Sibodae
receive the ball signal through
Jujeon
and inform the 12-Si and
Gyeong-Jeom
time, which is thought to be an improvement of
Bangmok
and rod in
Borugaknu
.
In the conceptual diagram for each floor, emphasis was placed on the signal generation system for the design of detailed operation mechanism. For the operation of
Ongnyeo
(II) and twelve gods on the flatland of Gasan, the 1st floor rotation wheel was equipped with the device which has the shape of umbrella ribs, sliding rail, and the
Geolteok
structure which has the shape of rod. For the motion of
Sasin and Musa
on
Sibodae
, the 2nd floor rotation wheel was made so that the 12-
Si
signal,
Gyeong-Jeom
signal, and the operation of
Jujeon
are coupled together. For the operation of
Ongnyeo
(I) and four gods at the top of the mountain, the 3rd floor rotation wheel was made to be the pin-shaped
Geolteok
structure. Based on the above information, this study is expected to provide basic data for the detailed design of the internal structure of
Heumgyeonggaknu
.
16Sejong sillok, 80:5b:line 13; 欽若昊天, 敬授人時.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2012R1A1A2003575)
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