조선시대 소형총통의 명문 유형과 특징 = Types and Characteristics of the Inscriptions on Hand Cannons (Small Chongtong) from the Joseon Dynasty

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Hand cannons (small chongtong) served as a main gunpower weapon
during the Joseon Dynasty. Seungja chongtong hand cannons (“tubular
cannon inscribed with seung (勝) character”), in particular, applied the most
advanced technology in the development of small chongtong and came to
bear standardized inscriptions. This paper aims to describe the types and
characteristics of inscriptions on small chongtong produced before and after
seungja chongtong. It examines a total of 205 small chongtong, including
147 small ones that were produced prior to the development of seungja
chongtong with relatively legible inscriptions, 57 seungja chongtong, and one
old chongtong believed to have been introduced from China in the late Goryeo
period.
Small chongtong produced before the invention of seungja chongtong
were developed as the capabilities of gunpowder improved and the method
of firing multiple projectiles with a single shot was devised during the reign
of King Sejong. New chongtong hand cannons like the sechongtong (narrow
hand cannons) were produced. Sinje chongtong created during the reign of
King Sejo were given the name “sinje,” meaning newly made, since they were
produced differently from ichongtong, samchongtong, paljeon chongtong, and
sajeon chongtong. All of these are identified in historical records and through surviving examples. However, the differences in certain technical aspects, such
as firing range, cannot be observed. Inscriptions on chongtong hand cannons
made before seungja chongtong are not uniform in type or style. They appear
to have been engraved out of necessity at the time of production, except
in the case of sinje chongtong bearing only the name of the hand cannons
and their producers. Small chongtong made before seungja chongtong may
have the same length, but differ in weight. An allowable range of length and
weight seems to have existed based on the type of chongtong. Moreover, small
chongtong, including ichongtong, samchongtong, paljeon chongtong, sajeon
chongtong, and sechongtong, were called by a different name given in the
order of the characters in the Thousand-character Classic. For example, they
were called uja, juja, hongja, hwangja, and walja. These bynames are presumed
to have been used between 1474 when Gukjo oryeui seorye (Introductory
Remarks on the Book on the Five Rites of State) was published and 1493 (during
the reign of King Seongjong) when juja chongtong and cheukja chongtong
were mentioned.
Seungja chongtong not only achieved technical perfection, but also bore
standardized inscriptions of the year of creation, name, weight, the name
of the producer, gunpowder dosage, and quantity of projectiles. These
inscriptions provided detailed information on who made the chongtong hand
cannons, when they were made, and how they were made and fired. Before
the production of seungja chongtong, inscriptions were carved, stippled, or
raised in relief. However, inscriptions began to be carved only with seungja
chongtong and other hand cannons produced later.
About 200 years passed between the establishment of the Hwatong Dogam
(Provisional Office of Gunpowder Weapons) in the late Goryeo period and
the invention of seungja chongtong. It is unclear what the small chongtong
created by Choe Museon in the late Goryeo period looked like. Nevertheless,
small chongtong from the early Joseon period were crude directional hand
cannons 300 millimeters in length that used arrows as projectiles. Chongtong continued to improve, and by the sixteenth century, seungja chongtong over
500 millimeters in length using bullets as projectiles has been invented. For
about twenty years before matchlock muskets were introduced during the
Japanese invasions (1592-1598), diverse types of seungja chongtong were
produced, including byeolseungja chongtong, byeolyangja chongtong, soyangja
chongtong, sososeungja chongtong, and soseungja chongtong. Moreover,
various attempts were made to expand the firing range by producing
chongtong over 700 millimeters in length or by reducing the number of
joints on chongtong. There were also efforts to improve shooting accuracy
by adding a rear sight, a front sight, and a handle retaining ring. Although
seungja chongtong failed to develop into matchlock muskets, Joseon constantly
strove to improve its gunpowder weapons over a brief span of years. The
traces of these efforts remain intact in the inscriptions on chongtong hand
cannons. A further discovery of chongtong and related historical records could
complement the deficiencies in current research on chongtong, and specific
case studies of small chongtong will contribute to the research into gunpowder
weapons.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 머리말
• Ⅱ. 조선시대 소형총통의 종류
• Ⅲ. 승자총통 이전 소형총통의 명문 유형과 특징
• Ⅳ. 승자총통 이후 명문의 특징과 정형화
• Ⅴ. 맺음말