The Honcheonsigye (meaning ''armillary clock'') is an astronomical clock designated as

South Korean national treasure A National Treasure () is a tangible treasure, artifact, site, or building which is recognized by the South Korean government as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value to the country. The title is one of the eight State-designa ...

number 230. The clock has an

armillary sphere An armillary sphere (variations are known as spherical astrolabe, armilla, or armil) is a model of objects in the sky (on the celestial sphere), consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centered on Earth or the Sun, that represent lines of ...

with a diameter of 40 cm. The sphere is activated by a clockwork mechanism, designed to display the position of the heavens at any given time, as well as displaying the hours and marking their passage with a chiming bell. The device is no longer in working order. The clock is owned by

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities. The ...

. It is the only remaining astronomical clock from the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. The clock was purchased from an antiques dealer some time before WWII by Mr

Kim Seong-su Kim Seong-su (김성수, 金性洙; October 11, 1891 – February 18, 1955) was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician and calligrapher, and the second vice president of South Korea from 1951–19 ...

김성수 金性洙, the rich businessman and politician who founded

. The historian of science Jeon Sang-Woon 전상운 全相運, who examined the device in 1962, assumed that it was the clockwork driven sphere known to have been made by Song Yiyeong 송이영 宋以穎 in 1669 for King Hyeonjong of Joseon 현종 顯宗, and the British historian of science

Joseph Needham Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (; 9 December 1900 – 24 March 1995) was a British biochemist, historian of science and sinologist known for his scientific research and writing on the history of Chinese science and technology, in ...

adopted this view, giving a detailed citation of the relevant Korean texts from that period, and a detailed description of the mechanism. However, the historian of Korean cartography, Gary Ledyard, argued that this device could not have been made as early as 1669, since the names given on the map of the earth on the terrestrial globe at the centre of the object shows a name for part of the southern continent that could not have been known in Korea at that period. More recently, O Sanghag 오상학 has argued that the object may date from as late as the beginning of the 19th century, in the time of Crown Prince Ikjong 익종 翼宗 (1809-1830), before the prince became regent in 1827. An image of the clock's sphere is shown on the reverse of the 2007 issued 10,000

won Won may refer to: *The Korean won from 1902–1910 *South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea *North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea * Won (Korean surname) * Won (Korean given name) * Won Buddhis ...

banknotes:

Notes

References

Cultural Heritage Administration: Astronomical instrument and clock
History of astronomy Historical scientific instruments National Treasures of South Korea Astronomy in Korea 1669 works Joseon dynasty {{korea-stub

See also

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References