National Museum Redux

You'll see this flower later. Remember it.

Very excited to return and see the rest of the museum.

However . . . the main museum is closed on Monday!!

There was a special exhibit open, so we viewed it. Discoveries from the Sinan Shipwreck, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the excavation, divided into three sections: "Cultural signs and Symbols of the Sinan Shipwreck," "Magnificent Merchant Vessel of the Fourteenth Century," and "The Treasure House Is Now Open."

The Sinan ship was a merchant vessel loaded with a large cargo of trade goods, which departed from Qingyuan, China in 1323, bound for the port of Hakata, Japan. En route, however, the ship sank near the Sinan coast, where it lay on the seabed for 652 years before being discovered and reintroduced to the world.

"Cultural signs and Symbols of the Sinan Shipwreck" attempted to introduce some history regarding commerce and exchange between cultures in the Far East during the period of the shipwreck. Many items were on display that showed how the cultures were similar, as well as how they were different . . . and how some products and customs became an amalgam of several cultures.

Japanese Taste for Chinese Things.

Bokiekotoba, Scroll Two: The Kitchen of Nanryuin. Meiji, 19th century. Tokyo National Museum.

Bokiekotoba, Scroll Six: The Banquet in the Kitanoji. Meiji, 19th century. Tokyo National Museum.

The Sinan finds included a large number of containers related to the customs of drinking tea, burning incense and arranging flowers. During the Kamakura period (1192-1333), Japan had not yet established official ties with China, but, through active exchange, the Japanese people adopted several of the Chinese cultural practices. Tea drinking, incense burning and flower arranging were prevalent among the upper class of the Kamakura shogunate and huge quantities of Chinese vessels (dishes, not ships) were imported into Japan. This is likely the main reason that the Sinan ship was so full of Chinese wares.

Qingbai porcelain cup and stand and Qingbai porcelain peach-shaped cup. Jingdezhen kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Large Celadon dish with applied twin fish design. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century. Twin fish appear often in Chinese, Japanese and Korean art. Fish often swim in pairs, and in China, a pair of fish signifies conjugal fidelity and unity.

I do have a strange fascination with Celadon ceramics. The term denotes both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware (the term specialists tend to use) and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks. I now have a vase, a few incense burners and a beautiful lamp.

For many centuries, celadon wares were the most highly regarded by the Chinese Imperial court, before being replaced in fashion by painted wares, especially the new blue and white porcelain, under the Yuan dynasty. The similarity of the color to jade, traditionally the most highly valued material in China, was a large part of its attraction. Celadon continued to be produced in China at a lower level, often with a conscious sense of reviving older styles. In Korea the celadons produced under the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) are regarded as the classic wares of Korean porcelain.

Celadon bottles with lotus and floral design. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Celadon ewer with lotus scroll design.

Assorted Celadon and Qingbai porcelain.

"Magnificent Merchant Vessel of the Fourteenth Century"

Weighing more than 200 tons, and measuring 112 feet long, 36 feet wide and 12 feet deep, the Sinan ship was one of the largest merchant vessels of the fourteenth century. It is estimated that there were probably around 60 passengers on board at the time the ship sank.

Certain details of the ship indicate that it was likely constructed in Quanzhou, Fujian. For example, the overall size is similar to other ships from Fujian Provice, as is the exterior covering of connected plates, reminiscent of fish scales. Additionally, holes were drilled in the keel of the bilge at points where it connected to the bow and stern. These holes likely once held bronze mirrors, which ships from Quanzhou traditionally attached as talismans for a safe journey.

The Sinan ship took on multiple loads of commercial goods; the first cargo was loaded on April 22, 1323, while the final loading took place on June 3, 1323. After departing from Qingyuan, the Sinan ship may have encountered a storm near Jeju-do Island, causing it to drift to the Sinan coast, where it ultimately sank.

The Sinan Shipwreck excavation started in August 1975 with a fisherman catching a Celadon vase in a net off the coast of Jeungdo – one of the islands of Sinan County in South Jeolla Province. The fisherman showed the vase to his younger brother, a primary school teacher, and the bother reported the incident to the Sinan County Office. The following year, the Cultural Properties management Bureau (now the Cultural Heritage Administration) set up a full-scale exhibition and salvage. A series of excavations were conducted from 1976 to 1984, salvaging more than 24,000 artifacts. These “discoveries from the Sinan Shipwreck” are featured in the exhibition.

The Sinan ship appears to have sunk within a month or two after its departure in Early June by the lunar calendar and was buried underwater for over 650 years.

"The Treasure House Is Now Open"

I swear we were not at Crate and Barrel.

Ceramics are the most significant items found on the Sinan shipwreck. During the period of the wreck, Chinese ceramics were shipped abroad from East and Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa in massive quantities. Ceramic wares salvaged from the shipwreck include major types of high-quality Chinese ceramics. In addition, seven pieces of Goryeo celadon were found, providing valuable information regarding ceramics exchange in Eastern Asia.

Sinan ceramics can be classified into several types: Celadon, Qingbai, white porcelain, black-glazed, brown-glazed, black-and-white sgraffito and earthenware. Each of these was made from kilns throughout China.

Celadon dishes with dragon designs. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Celadon jar with dragon design and Celadon bodhisattva. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Celadon ribbed jar. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Celadon figure of woman, x2, Celadon Taoist figurine. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Bronze water dropper, Celadon water dropper, Celadon brush holder. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Qinbai porcelain dishes with lotus, plum blossom, peony and deer designs. Jingdezhen kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Jars with floral and dragon designs. Cishou kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Clay figurines. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Qingbai Bodhisdharma, Bodhisattva and water droppers. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

Celadon water droppers. Longquan kilns. Late 13th century-Early 14th century.

The Sinan ship was preserved in a good condition for a long period of time because it was buried in a muddy seabed. Around 1,000 beams of red sandalwood and 28 tons of coins lined the base of the ship. These heavy items maintained the ship's balance.

Characters, numbers and symbols were inscribed on more than 350 of the beams. These are thought to indicate owners or inventory. Among these, "'daji' is seen on wooden boxes containing ceramics, possible indicating the same shipper.

Additionally, Roman and Arabic numerals and Roman alphabets are found, presumably traces of traders from the Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.

Coins were the heaviest item on the Sinan ship. The total weight exceeded 28 tons and over 8 million pieces were excavated. Chinese coins are dominant, but there are also a small number of Vietnamese coins. The earliest coin is the Huaquan, dating to 14 CE. The latest are the Zhida tongbao and Dayuan tongbao, produced in 1310 during the Yuam period (1271-1368.) These Chinese coins were likely used as currency in Japan.

Metal wares recovered from the Sinan shipwreck amount to more than 1,000 pieces. They represent various materials, including brass, tin, bronze and copper and range from cooking utensils like pots, pans, ladles and measuring devices to incense burning tools and Buddhist ritual items.

Also included are a large number of containers imitating ancient bronze forms which follow the Song (960-1279) tradition of making vessels in antique styles. Additionally, around 340 ingots were excavated.