33 Keys to Decoding the Korea Wave #23 King Sejong The Great Vs. Leonardo da Vinci 

#23 Joseon Renaissance and Italian Renaissance

 

*한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드 #23 세종대왕 Vs. 레오나르도 다 빈치 <한국어 버전>

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Statue of King Sejong (1397-1450) seated with Bukhansan Mountain in the background at Gwanghwamun Square / Self-portrait believed to be the work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

  

“If you think about it carefully, our Highness is a saint sent down from heaven, and his system and facilities are superior to those of hundreds of generations of emperors, so the creation of Jeongeum was done naturally without any imitation of previous generations. This is an extremely logical thing. There is no place where it is not, so it is not a result of human actions that are selfish.”

-Jeong In-Ji, Preface to “Hunminjeongeum” (means Right Sounds to Educate the People), 1446-

 

“The king is wise and knowledgeable. He has a bright mind and is exceptionally wise. He is benevolent and filial. He is wise and courageous in his decisions. From the time he was in the palace, he loved learning, but was not lazy, and a book never left his hand. ... He was knowledgeable about humanity and kind to all things. It has been over 30 years since the South and North obeyed him, the country was comfortable, and the people enjoyed living there."

-Sejong Annals, 1450-

 

“Under King Sejong’s reign, the foundation for a thousand years of fortune in our country was first laid. The livelihoods of the people became more plentiful, and the population increased.”

“It was an era in which cultural management was achieved through the establishment of examples during the Sejong era and the creation of music.”

-Yi I (1537-1584), Yulgok Jeonseo, 1814-

 

King Sejong’s handwriting / Leonardo da Vinci’s handwriting Photo: Royal Collection, UK.

 

“The greatest gifts are often seen, in the course of nature, rained by celestial influences on human creatures; and sometimes, in supernatural fashion, beauty, grace, and talent are united beyond measure in one single person, in a manner that to whatever such a person turns his attention, his every action is so divine, that, surpassing all other men, it makes itself clearly known as a thing bestowed by God (as it is), and not acquired by human art. 

 

This was seen by all mankind in Leonardo da Vinci, in whom, besides a beauty of body never sufficiently extolled, there was an infinite grace in all his actions; and so great was his genius, and such its growth, that to whatever difficulties he turned his mind, he solved them with ease. In him was great bodily strength, joined to dexterity, with a spirit and courage ever royal and magnanimous; and the fame of his name so increased, that not only in his lifetime was he held in esteem, but his reputation became even greater among posterity after his death.”

-From Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), “The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects”, trans. A. B. Hinds, 4 vols. (London, 1970)

 

"King Sejong The Great" 

 

 

“...It was not until five years ago, when I visited Seoul for the first time and attempted to learn language, that I first encountered Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. To say I was stunned is an understatement. Not only was I struck by the elegance and functionality of the writing system itself and the incredible tale of its creation by a genius king - I could not believe that this story was not universally known. If a European ruler had invented an alphabet for his or her people, everybody in the world would have heard about it. That story would have been told and retold in novels, movies, and television series worldwide. I tried to imagine what the closest equivalent to King Sejong outside Korea would have been: Leonardo da Vinci as ruler of Florence? Issac Newton as the King of England? There seemed to be nothing comparable.” 

-Joe Menosky, “KING SEJONG THE GREAT” Prologue, 2020- 

 

Joe Menosky, author of the American science fiction television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” published a mystery novel “KING SEJONG THE GREAT” in Korean and English in October 2020. 

 

King Sejong the Great, the king of Joseon, is very familiar to Koreans in their daily lives through the Korean language they use every day, through dramas and movies on the small screen, as a statue at the Gwanghwamun intersection, and by his portrait on the 10,000 won bill. Joe Menosky viewed King Sejong as “a combination of Abraham Lincoln and Leonardo da Vinci, a genius among geniuses with no comparison in history.” King Sejong the Great gave him creative inspiration, and he featured King Sejong in his debut novel. It is a historical mystery novel in which a fight takes place between Joseon, Japan, the Ming Dynasty, and Mongolia, with the plot that a copy of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye (*a book that explains the principles and purpose of the Hangeul) is a “lost treasure” that was transported to the West via the Silk Road and hidden away and forgotten somewhere in a church or library.

 

 

Sejong the Great and Leonardo da Vinci: geniuses of invention

 

“It is the simplest writing system in the world. By combining consonants and vowels, any language and sound can be written. Sejong is the Korean Leonardo da Vinci, as he is gifted with deep and various talents.” 

-Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), 1938 Nobel Prize-winning novelist-

In director Hur Jin-ho’s movie “Forbidden Dream” (2019), King Sejong (played by Han Suk-kyu) asks Jang Yeong-sil (played by Choi Min-sik) about the principles of water clocks.

 

C4 J0 K21 O19

In 1983, Japan’s Juntaro Ito and others published “Dictionary of the History of Science and Technology,” a chronological survey of the world’s scientific achievements. In this dictionary, the results of a survey of groundbreaking scientific and technological achievements around the world between 1418 and 1450, during the reign of King Sejong, were tallied as “C4 J0 K21 O19.” There were 4 from China (Ming Dynasty), 0 from Japan (Muromachi Shogunate), 21 from Korea, and 19 from other all other countries including Europe and the Middle East. The scientific and technological achievements of the King Sejong era were not only the best in Asia but also the best in the world.

 

Scientific instruments such as Cheonpyeong Ilgu/Hyeonju Ilgu/Jeongnam Ilgu/Angbu Ilgu (sundial), Ilseongjeongsiui (sundial + star clock), Gwancheondae (astronomical observatory), rain gauge (rainfall measuring instrument), armillary sphere (astronomical observation instrument), Jagyeoknu (water clock), punggi stand (measurement of wind volume and wind speed), hornsang (astronomical instrument), soopyo (river water level measuring instrument), byeongjinja (lead type), gyupyo (astronomical measuring instrument), and military weapons such as Singijeon (arrow with gunpowder barrel) were produced during the reign of King Sejong the Great. And the King also created Hunminjeongeum (Hangeul), the Korean alphabet. 

 

 

An invention by scientist Jang Yeong-sil during the reign of King Sejong. Image: King Sejong Memorial Hall

 

King Sejong (1397-1450), real name Yi do, is known as “The Great” along with  Gwanggaeto the Great (347-412) of Goguryeo, who expanded Goguryeo’s territory to the continent. Yi do was born on April 10, 1397, as the third son of King Taejong Yi Bang-won and Queen Wongyeong. In 1965, his birthday (lunar calendar) was converted to solar calendar (May 15) and became Korean Teacher’s Day.

 

King Sejong, who ascended the throne in 1418 at the age of 22, was an avid reader and inventor. He hired talented people regardless of their status. He selected Jang Yeong-sil, a former government slave, and sent him to study in the Ming Dynasty (China) to learn advanced technologies. He also established the Joseon think tank, Jiphyeonjeon (Hall of Worthies), a royal research institute. The scholars such as Shin Suk-ju, Seong Sam-moon, Jeong In-ji, Jeong Chang-son, Park Paeng-nyeon, Kang Hui-an, Lee Gae, Ha Wie-ji, Choi Hang Yang Yang-ji, Seo Geo-jeong, and Noh Sa-shin, were involved in publication of numerous historical, ethical and medical writings. That includes “Goryeo History,” “Oryeui,” “Samganghaengsil,” “Chipyeong Abthology,” “Uibangyuchi,” and “Donggukjeongun.” But the most notable achievement of Jiphyeonjeon was the establishment of Hangeul. The scholars edited and published books using Hangeul such as “Yongbieocheonga,” “Seokbosangjeol,” “Wolincheongangjigok.” The Jiphyeonjeon contributed to the reputation of Sejong’s reign as the golden age of Korean culture.

A 10,000 won bill containing King Sejong’s portrait (front), an astronomical clock, and constellation map against the background of Ilwolobongdo (Sun and Moon and Five Peaks painting) and “Yongbieocheonga.”

 

Hangeul, created to show compassion for the people and for communication, education, and records among people, is the culmination of King Sejong’s ruling philosophy. King Sejong was a genius of his time who made innovations in many fields, including linguistics, literature, history, geography, politics, economics, astronomy, etiquette, religion, military, farming, medicine, and music.

 

 

Leonardo da Vinci test banknote issued in Switzerland Banknote Switzerland 2000 Le Mont, Test Note-De la Rue Giori-Leonard da Vinci, 2000

 

Meanwhile, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was born as an illegitimate son in Vinci, Republic of Florence, on April 15, 1452, two years after the death of King Sejong. Leonardo, who was a loner, enjoyed nature as a friend, observed it, and gained knowledge through intellectual curiosity. At the age of 14, Leonardo became an apprentice to the Florentine artist Andrea del Verrocchio and learned carpentry, metal work, leather craft, painting, and sculpture. 

 

Leonardo da Vinci, Drawings of Water Lifting Devices from The Codex Leicester

 

Leonardo was a painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, scientist, musician, engineer, writer, anatomist, astronomer, botanist, historian, geographer, mathematician, city planner, cartographer, engineer, writer, chef and winemaker. In addition to the masterpieces, “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper,” da Vinci was hundreds of years ahead of his time as an inventor. Airplanes, helicopters, parachutes, cars, tanks, submarines, pulleys, cranes, fans, musical instruments, watches, perfume and contact lenses came out of his head. Leonardo considered himself more of a scientist than an artist.

 

According to Italian painter and critic Giorgio Vasari’s “The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects,” Leonardo as a young man built a canal on the Arno River from Pisa to Florence. He proposed a plan and designed a water-powered flour mill and engine. He also devised ways to lift heavy loads, empty ports, and remove water using levers, winches, screws, and pumps. Leonardo was so capricious that he philosophized about natural objects, writing that he explored the properties of herbs and observed the movements of the sky, the moon and the sun.

 

“Sejong Annals,” which records King Sejong’s achievements / Leonardo da Vinci’s handwritten notebook “The Codex Leicester”

 

 

In Leonardo’s handwritten notebook “The Codex Leicester” (1510), a collection of scientific writings which Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, purchased for $30.8 million in 1994, Leonardo made 730 conclusions about water alone. He contributed to modern water engineering and science, including flood management and the design of irrigation canals and reservoirs through the water cycle and the effect of flow velocity on pressure. His descriptions of fossils influenced early paleontology. This notebook contains numerous inventions, including musical instruments, hydraulic pumps, mortar shells, and steam cannons. Da Vinci's inventions are known to number over 100. 

 

 

King Sejong and Leonardo as musicians

 

“The music used for royal ancestral rites, memorial services, and performances is very inadequate because it is a collection of various pieces of music from the previous dynasty, so now we are deciding on new pieces of music and adding or subtracting from the old pieces of music that are useful.”

  -Annals of King Sejong, 1472-

 

Chihwapyeongbo from “Sejong Annals Music Score” Volume 140

 

King Sejong the Great was a lyricist, composer, and inventor of musical instruments. Monarchs who were composers in history include Frederick the Great (1712-1786) of Prussia (Germany), and Selim III (1761-1808) of the Ottoman Empire. King Sejong wanted to use music as a tool to establish Joseon’s discipline and build an ideal nation. He created his own scores, rearranged instruments to suit the circumstances of Joseon, and created music as a lyricist/composer. Because there were so many musical achievements made during the reign of King Sejong, they could not be included in the “Annals of King Sejong” (163 volumes in total), so 12 volumes titled “Annals of Sejong Music” (volumes 136-147) were attached separately.

 

King Sejong was concerned that royal ceremonial music was focused on Aak, the music of the Song Dynasty in China, and not Hyangak, the popular music enjoyed by the Korean people. He recognized the contradiction between listening to Hyangak while alive and playing Aak after death. Accordingly, Nangye Park Yeon, who is called one of the three greatest music saints along with Goguryeo's Wang San-ak (the inventor of geomungo, plucked zither with 6 strings) and Silla's Ureuk (the inventor of gayageum with 12 strings), was appointed as a music scholar. Court music was completely reformed.

 

King Sejong, who had excellent absolute pitch, produced a Pyeongyeong (percussion instrument) that produced a clear sound using pumice (sounding stone) from the Namyang instead of foil, iron, or clay. In addition, he modified various musical instruments such as Seokgyeong, Yeonggo, and Pyeonjong (made of iron) to suit the Joseon Dynasty. When King Sejong first demonstrated Pyeongyeong, he pointed out that the pitch was not correct. After the musicians investigated, it was because the part marked with ink lines on the kyeongseok (stone) was undercut. There is an anecdote in the Annals of King Sejong that it was possible to correct this.

 

“The king was well versed in rhythm, and he personally created the rhythm of new music and the high and low pitches of the music. The rhythm was made by hitting the ground with a stick to the beat, and it was enacted in one evening.”

-Annals of King Sejong-

 

 

Pyeongyeong, Nangye Korean Traditional Music Museum collection, Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do

 

King Sejong established the foundation for the 12-pitch pipe, called Hwangjongyulgwang, used in traditional Korean music, and directly innovated 'Jeongganbo' by creating a square with the shape of a well (井) to represent the length of the sound with one stroke. He created “Jeongganbo” (Sejong Music Score) himself. Jeongganbo records the length (rhythm) of the sound by dividing it into columns in the shape of the letter jeong (井). This is the first flow score in the East, and is still used as a notation method for Korean traditional music to this day.

 

After creating Hunminjeongeum (the origin of the Korean alphabet) in 1443, King Sejong, in order to test it, gave Gwonje, Jeong Inji, Anji, the scholars, an Akjang (music used for official events in the royal court during the Joseon Dynasty) praising the deeds of the ancestors such as King Mokjo, Ikjo, Dojo, Hwanjo, Taejo, and Taejong. He published the epic poem “Yongbieocheonga” (Songs of Flying Dragons, Treasure No. 1463) (music used in ancestral rites and banquets at Jongmyo Shrine). He also composed “Yeominrak” (Music to enjoy with the People), which adds a melody to the lyrics of Yongbieocheonga. When Queen Soheon died, King Sejong ordered his son Grand Prince Suyang (Sejo) to compile “Seokbosangjeol” (Episodes from the Life of Buddha) in Hangeul. After reading “Seokbosangjeol” in 1447, King Sejong wrote the Buddhist hymn “Wolincheonganggigok” (Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers, National Treasure No. 320) in Hangeul.

 

 

“Jongmyo Jeryeak” was designated on the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2008.

 

The completion of the new royal ritual music, “Jongmyo Jeryeak” (The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music), was also a collaboration between King Sejong and Park Yeon. Jongmyo Jeryeak is a total performance of instrumental music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo Shrine, where the kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty are enshrined. For the Jongmyo Jerye Ak in 1449, King Sejong composed “Botaepyeong” (praise of the late king’s civil deeds, 11 songs), “Jeongdaeeop” (praise of the late king’s military exploits, 15 songs), “Balsang” and “Changsugok.” He composed the songs, “Gyeonggeungok” and “Bongraeui.”

 

Jongmyo Jeryeak is performed by a “traditional Korean music orchestra” featuring wind, string, and percussion instruments such as gourd, pyeonjong, pyeongyeong, banghyang, flute, daegeum, chuk, eo, haegeum, jingo, majochok, jeolgo, ajaeng, and taepyeongso. The Royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo shrine and its music, along with Pansori epic chant and the Gangneung Danoje festival, were designated on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2008.

 

 

Leonardo da Vinci’s score (above) and musical instrument sketch

 

“Music, the unhappy sister of painting, evaporates in an instant.”

-Leonardo da Vinci, A Treatise on Painting

 

Meanwhile, what is often overlooked about Leonardo da Vinci's talent is that he was a musician. Music and art were to him sister arts that shaped the invisible. His notebooks contain sketches of music and inventions of musical instruments. 

 

His colleagues at the time referred to da Vinci as a performer and music teacher. He was interested in and studied sound science and musical instrument design craft. The instruments he invented include a flute, drums, hurdy-gurdies (a musical instrument in which the strings are played by turning a handle), and the viola organista (a device in which the strings are vibrated with a friction belt and the strings are selected with a keyboard).

 

In 1482, Leonardo created a silver lyre that resonated better than existing wooden lyres (mini harp) and was shaped like a beautiful horse head (*Leonardo also made horse sculptures). His former patron, Lorenzo de Medici, was embroiled in a dispute and bitter rivalry with the Duke of Milan. It is said that Leonardo sent them a horsehead harp as a gift as a symbol of reconciliation.

 

Giorgio Vasari described Leonardo’s musical talent in “The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects,” stating that Leonardo showed an interest in music, and quickly learned to play the lyre as if he were born with the noblest and most refined soul. He improvised on that instrument and sang divinely.

 

Most men at the time shaved their beards, but Leonardo’s beard cascaded over his chest. Adult men usually wore long garments, but Leonardo was a fashionista who wore tunics, long pants, and bright colors, and is said to have had the presence of a rock star.

 

 

 

Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of a Musician (c.1485), Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan/ “Amazing Leonardo” (2019) directed by Jesus Garces Lambert.

 

Leonardo painted a portrait of a man around 1485. This painting, housed in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana of Milan, was long known as Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan. However, during the restoration process in 1905, when the overcoat was removed, sheet music held in the subject’s hand appeared at the bottom. Accordingly, it was claimed that the model was not the Duke, but the musician Francino Gafurio, master of the Duomo Chapel in Milan.  There was also a theory that it was a portrait of the French composer Josquín des Prez. Recently, there were claims that it was Tuscan singer and lyricist Atalanta Migliorotti, who was Leonardo’s friend, and that it was a self-portrait of Leonardo.

 

The end of King Sejong and Leonardo da Vinci

 

In Yeongneung in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, where Sejong the Great and Queen Soheon are buried together, his scientific instruments are restored and on display. Photo: Yeoju City Hall

 

Sejong the Great’s grandfather, Taejo Yi Seong-gye, lived to the age of 74. King Sejong was born with a strong physique, but after ascending to the throne at the age of 22, he spent seven years attending state funerals for Jeongjong, his mother Min, and his father Taejong. King Sejong, who was an avid reader, is said to have suffered from various diseases throughout his life, including eye disease, arthritis, dysentery, stroke, headache, edema, urinary stones, diabetes, and venereal disease.

 

King Sejong’s last years were a series of misfortunes. In 1445 he lost his two sons within a month. Prince Gwangpyeong (age 20), the fifth, and Prince Pyeongwon (age 17), the seventh born to Queen Soheon, died of smallpox. Queen Soheon suffered from the shock and died in 1446. In 1448, King Sejong announced that he would build Naebuldang next to the palace, as if he was converting to Buddhism. Although there was strong opposition from Confucian subjects, King Sejong, filled with sorrow, pushed ahead. Sejong the Great passed away on March 30, 1450 (February 17th of the lunar calendar) at the age of 52, in the 32nd year of his reign. 

 

Leonardo da Vinci’s hometown Vinci, The Man of Vinci (Vitruviann sculpture) by Mario Ceroli. Photo: Slow Italy

 

Leonardo da Vinci lived at Chateau of Clos Lucé d’Amboise on the Loire River in the summer of 1516 at the invitation of King François I of France and completed the “Mona Lisa,” which he had been painting since 1503. His health subsequently deteriorated, and he died on May 2, 1519, at the Chateau d’Amboise. He was 67 years old.

 

“Finally, having grown old, he remained ill many months, and, feeling himself near to death, asked to have himself diligently informed of the teaching of the Catholic faith, and of the good way and holy Christian religion; and then, with many moans, he confessed and was penitent; and although he could not raise himself well on his feet, supporting himself on the arms of his friends and servants, he was pleased to take devoutly the most holy Sacrament, out of his bed. 

The King, who was wont often and lovingly to visit him, then came into the room; wherefore he, out of reverence, having raised himself to sit upon the bed, giving him an account of his sickness and the circumstances of it, showed withal how much he had offended God and mankind in not having worked at his art as he should have done. 

 

Thereupon he was seized by a paroxysm, the messenger of death; for which reason the King having risen and having taken his head, in order to assist him and show him favour, to then end that he might alleviate his pain, his spirit, which was divine, knowing that it could not have any greater honour, expired in the arms of the King, in the seventy fifth year of his age.” (*Vasari made a mistake about Leonardo’s age at his death, which was 67, not 75.)

-From Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), “The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects,” trans. A. B. Hinds, 4 vols. (London, 1970)

 

 

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Francis I Receives the Last Breaths of Leonardo da Vinci, 1818

 

 

Joseon Renaissance and Italian Renaissance

 

Books about Sejong the Great

 

The Italian Renaissance, which flourished in all areas of culture, including art, architecture, literature, and music, began in Florence in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. In Germany, Johannes Gutenberg developed metal movable printing in 1447, beginning a revolution in knowledge in Europe. 

 

However, it is recorded that metal type was used in the early 13th century during the Goryeo Dynasty, long before Gutenberg. “Jikjisimgyeong” (Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen Teachings), printed in Heungdeok Temple in 1377, is the world’s oldest metalloid type, as UNESCO confirmed in 2001. It was 78 years prior to the Gutenberg’s acclaimed “42-Line Bible” was printed during the years 1452–1455. The greater part of the Jikji is lost, and only the last volume is kept at the Manuscrits Orientaux division of the National Library of France. 

 

In 1434, King Sejong cast the “Gapinja” typeface, a calligraphy type called the pinnacle of metal type, and also created the Hangeul type. The era of King Sejong was the starting point of the Joseon Renaissance.

 

Lee Cheong-seung, who served as the president of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, said this in an interview with the Korea Economic Daily after publishing “Two Renaissances” (2010), a book containing the meaning and vision of the Sejong Renaissance:

 

“The Renaissance occurred in the 15th century in Florence, Italy, where people escaped from the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages and discovered the human self. Prior to this, in Joseon, Sejong the Great opened another Renaissance era by pursuing a human-centered world. However, we are well aware of the Renaissance in the West. We don’t know about our Renaissance. We need to know how widely King Sejong not only created Hangeul but also practiced humanism, and we must inherit this.”

 

Lee Cheong-seung continued, “Sejong the Great is the person who saw the people as heaven and opened a human-centered world. He created Hangeul for the people despite the opposition of ministers steeped in toadyism, and even after creating it, he endlessly debated and persuaded them. He allowed government servants to take 130 days of maternity leave, and also gave their husbands 30 days of maternity leave. [King Sejong] was the person in the world who will take care of them. He said, ‘The pitiful person is a slave, and because her husband does not give her leave, many government slaves die in childbirth.’ He emphasized the need to embody Sejong’s populism and humanism in the spirit of the times, the spirit of Korea, and the spirit of Asia.”

 

 

Front and back sides of 100 won coin with King Sejong engraved on it (left)/ 1 and 2 euro Italian coins with Leonardo's works engraved on them

Jeon Gyeong-il, who published “Read King Sejong’s Code” (2003), a book that sheds light on “King Sejong as CEO” who opened the Joseon Dynasty’s renaissance, was a king, a genius, a hard worker, and led people with strong leadership based on great character and spiritual power. He proposed Koreans recognize the leadership of Sejong the Great.

 

In this book, the author says, “Sejong is practical and omnidirectional. Sejong is systematic and strategic. Sejong is inclusive and innovative. Sejong knows how to bring out the potential of people as well as himself. Above all, it is admirable that King Sejong practiced pragmatism. Economic and industrial policies were implemented to stabilize people’s livelihoods, security and diplomacy policies were established to secure the nation, technology development policies were in place to foster growth engines, and publishing, informatization, and education policies were formulated for the 100-year plan. Additionally, media and state records policies were implemented, free from government control. There is nothing lacking in the culture and arts policy that entertains the people. Even excluding the feat of creating the Korean alphabet, King Sejong is a great CEO,” Jeon Gyeong-il wrote.