The Bell of King Seongdeok - A Korean National Treasure

Video Title :	The Bell of King Seongdeok - A Korean National Treasure
Description :	The Bell of King Seongdeok(Korean: 성덕대왕신종, 聖德大王神鐘) is the largest extant bell in Korea and one of the largest in the world. The full Korean name means "Divine Bell of King Seongdeok the Great." It was also known as the Bell of Bongdeoksa Temple, where it was first housed. It is commonly known to Koreans as the Emille Bell(Korean; 에밀레종, Emille, pronounced "em-ee-leh," is an ancient term from Silla Kingdom(57 BCE -- 935 CE), for "mommy.") According to legend, when the bell was first cast, it would not ring. So it was melted down again and the priest of the temple for which the bell was being made was told in a dream that if a baby was cast into the metal the bell would ring. When the bell was recast and struck, it produced the sound of "em-ee-leh", like the cries of the sacrificed baby. The bell was commissioned by King Gyeongdeok of Silla (reigned 742 - 765) to honor and his father King Seongdeok the Great(reigned 702 -- 737). However, the bell was not completely cast until the reign of King Hyegong(reigned 765 - 780), the son of King Gyeondeok, in 771 CE. It was designated as the 29th national treasure of Korea on December 12, 1962. It measures 3.33 meters high, 2.27 meters in diameter, and 11 to 25 centimeters in wall thickness. According to the scientific research which was made in 1980s, the notes could be heard 37.2 miles away on a clear day. The bell weighs 27.8 tons. The Bell was hung in the belfry of Bong-Deok-Sa Temple until 1460, when the Temple was destroyed of flood. Later the bell was moved to the belfry of Yeongmyosa Temple until it was destroyed by a huge fire in 1506. After that, the Bell was housed in the watchtower of Gate of Gyeongju City Walls until the early 20th century. The bell is now stored in the National Museum of Gyeongju since 1915. The bell is considered a masterpiece of Silla art. It is unique among Korean bronze bells because it has a hollow tube that controls its sound. The hook of the bell is in the shape of a dragon's head. There are many relief patterns on the bell. There are flower patterns along the rim and shoulder. There are also reliefs of lotus flowers, grass reliefs, and a pair of two Apsarases (Heavenly Maidens of Buddha, Korean; 비천, See the third Photo in the Video). The striking point of the bell (Dang-Jwha, Korean; 당좌) is also in the shape of a lotus and sits between two of the heavenly maiden reliefs. The bottom of the bell is in a rhombic shape which gives it a unique look not found in other bells of East Asia. The inscriptions on the bell, over a thousand Chinese characters, are fine example of East Asian calligraphy and carving and they provide detailed information about the bell and why it was cast. The bell was rung at every 6 o'Clock in the morning until 1993, but for the Preservation, it is now rung only for special days (i.e; New Year's Day). This Recording was recorded in the 1960s by Dr. Gyu-Dong Cho of Korea University for a scientific research. and later issued as a 45rpm album named 'Bells of Korea' (Of course, there are many other modern Hi-Fi Recordings of the Bell, but as my channel is specialized on 78rpm other vintage recordings, I used the old mono recording in this.) At the end of this Slide Shows, I put some of my private photos which I took during my travel to Gyeongju, in August 2006. And.....I wish a Happy New Year to All of You!
Views :	1367
Rating :	5.00
Keywords, Tags :	The Bell of King Seongdeok Gyeongju Korea National Treasure 45rpm Ancient Silla
Video Length :	2 : 30

Comments :

Wow, what a sound! I don't know if it's because of the sacrificed baby but it really sounds lugubrious.

Excellent!