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Innovations on the Timekeeping Devices at King Sejong’s Observatory Ganui-dae

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A Bridge between Conceptual Frameworks

Part of the book series: History of Mechanism and Machine Science ((HMMS,volume 27))

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Abstract

In the course of seven year’s astronomical project launched by King Sejong (r. 1418-50) of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910); beginning in 1432, the Royal Observatory installed fifteen kinds of astronomical equipment and timekeeping devices in the main palace grounds. Among these, five kinds were astronomical instruments. Ten kinds were timekeeping devices. Jang Yeong-sil (Unknown) invented two Striking Clepsydras: Ball-powered Striking Palace Clepsydra employed as a standard timekeeper, and Water- and ball-operated Striking Heavenly Clepsydra as an instrument to edify Neo-Confucian ideology. The Sun-and-Star Time-determining Instrument and its smaller version consisted of a sun- and star-dial mounting equatorial-polar alignment and thread gnomons. Two Small Simplified Armilla were used to observe celestial bodies and/or timekeeping at the palace observatory and Astro-calendric Office, respectively. The sundials, mounting an equatorial-polar alignment and/or all thread-gnomons Scaphe-, Plummet-, Horizontal-, and South-determining, were new and used at the observatory, Astro-claendric Office, military camps, public places and palaces. A portable water-clock, Traveling Clepsydra, was used for the royal family, the Astro-claendric Office and military camps. The Striking Clepsydras, the Sun-and-Star Time-determining Instrument and the Small Simplified Armilla were evaluated as Korean originals in the world history of astronomical instruments and clocks. Inventions and innovations in constructing the timekeeping device at the Royal Observatory attribute in large measure to King Sejong’s state-supported science policies. Time-measuring devices are reviewed from the contemporary official records with extant relics and reconstructions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Nam (2008).

  2. 2.

    “Reaching the hour, a time-teller beats the drum and suspends a time-tablet on the column. In the middle of a double-hour an official dressed in a red uniform stands in the left bearing a time-tablet, an official dressed in a green uniform bows and says “It is xx hour” and suspends the time-tablet on the column and leaves”. (Xu 1123).

  3. 3.

    Baker (1998), p. 174

  4. 4.

    Sigimondi (2012), pp. 37–41.

  5. 5.

    Nam and Nha (2015).

  6. 6.

    The records is an article on the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar moon of nineteenth year (1437) after throne. An academician of the Hall of Worthies Kim Don wrote the records.

  7. 7.

    Lee and Theodore de Bary (1997), op cit, p. 293.

  8. 8.

    According to recent studies, Guo Shoujing used Astronomical Rule tianwen-chi, one chi equivalent to 24.5 cm to make his instruments at the Yuan observatory ling-tai in Dadu (now Beijing). (Ref. Wang (2011)).

  9. 9.

    Nam (1995), pp. 271–304.

  10. 10.

    Night time could be measured with the Simplified Instrument by observing a meridian star, but it requires knowing the meridian stars by seasonal time zone. Thus we don’t call the Simplified Instrument a star-dial.

  11. 11.

    Guo Shoujing, Biography, History of Yuan 164:51, p. 989.

  12. 12.

    Needham et al. (1986), pp. 46–54.

  13. 13.

    The circumference is 365 1/4d, i.e., same as the length of the days in a year.

  14. 14.

    Nam (1995), pp. 105–108.

  15. 15.

    Rufus (1936), vol 26, plate 17, Fig. 33.

  16. 16.

    Chen (1955), p. 133.

  17. 17.

    Bo (1997), p. 21.

  18. 18.

    Translation taken from Sivin (2009), p. 204.

  19. 19.

    Needham et al. (1986) pp. 52–54.

  20. 20.

    Op. cit. pp. 60–63.

  21. 21.

    Details See Nam (2014).

  22. 22.

    Nam (2012), pp. 91–94.

  23. 23.

    National Palace Museum of Korea (2007).

  24. 24.

    Nam et al. (2010).

  25. 25.

    Nam (1995), pp 185–186; Al-Jazari (1206), pp 58–70; Romdhane and Zeghloul (2010), pp. 1–20.

  26. 26.

    Needham et al. (1986), p. 42.

  27. 27.

    The vessel lies on its side when empty, stands upright when half full of water, and falls over again when full. This vessel was understood to serve as an instrument to remind of moral standard, i.e., “humility receives benefit, full brings upon loss”.

  28. 28.

    Hahn et al. (2000).

  29. 29.

    E.g., Heron-type floating-siphon described in Mayr (1970).

  30. 30.

    Hua (2004).

  31. 31.

    Famous Servitor of the Yuan dynasty, Grand Astrologer Guo, p. 17b.

  32. 32.

    I ST (1986); Jeon (1998), pp. 72–73; Sivin (2009), p. 200.

  33. 33.

    Needham et al. (1986).

  34. 34.

    Goryeo Daejanggyeong-pan (80,000 Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks), acknowledged as the best and oldest intact version of Buddhist canon in Chinese script ever assembled. As such it has provided a very important contribution to the advancement of the Buddhist faith worldwide and was designated as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1995.

  35. 35.

    Nam (1995), pp. 108–113, figure-appendix 3–29.

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the King Sejong Memorial Society, National Palace Museum of Korea, Korea Astronomy & Space Science Institute (KASI) , and Haein-sa (temple) , Scientist Jang Yeong-sil Memorial Society, Research Center for the Korean History of Technology of Konkuk University. The author is grateful to Professors Timothy Atkinson at Seoul University of Foreign Studies and Dr. Yoonkey Nam at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) for reviewing the manuscript.

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  1. Konkuk University and Jagyeongnu Research Institute, Seoul, South Korea

    Moon-hyon Nam

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  1. Department of Physics, Lille 1 University Science and Technology, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

    Raffaele Pisano

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Nam, Mh. (2015). Innovations on the Timekeeping Devices at King Sejong’s Observatory Ganui-dae . In: Pisano, R. (eds) A Bridge between Conceptual Frameworks. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9645-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9645-3_18

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