Sep 04 2008
Pre-Imjinwaeran Rifle Discovered in Cheonggyecheon
When I first saw this article I thought to myself “Well whatever that means, it sure sounds cool.”
Turns out I was right and this is a neat find.
A pile of ancient relics was unearthed while restoring the “Cheonggye Stream” in Korea and among the items discovered was a firearm, produced in 1591. That was just one year before the start of the Seven Year War between Korea and Japan. The rifle is partially damaged, made from bronze, and is inscribed with the date of its production.
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) reports: “The partially-damaged firearm is 74.2 cm in length but, considering the inscriptions and its present size, experts say that the relic may have been closer to 1.2 meters long at the time of its production.
The museum said the key feature of the firearm is that its manufacturers chose an octagonal section to protect the gun barrel from explosion.”
Check out pictures of this 400+ year old rifle at the Korean Broadcasting System Online. It’s definitely different.
- Shaun
