Singijeon Explained

Hangul:신기전
Rr:Singijeon
Mr:Sin'gijŏn

or shinkichon was a type of Korean fire arrow rocket, used during the era of the Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1897). Multiple could be launched by (multiple rocket launcher).[1]

History

During the late 14th century, in order to gain ascendancy at sea against Japanese pirates (or), fire arrows called or were used, which would become the predecessor of the .[2] [3] The Koreans had tried to acquire rockets and gunpowder and their production methods from China. The Chinese, however, regarded the technology of gunpowder as a state secret and restricted access to it and trade in its nitrous raw materials (which could only be found in China). The Koreans therefore sought to acquire the manufacturing secrets of gunpowder for themselves and, in 1374 (~1376), Ch'oe Mu-sŏn was able to bribe a Chinese merchant to obtain the secret formula for manufacturing gunpowder, as well as limited technical knowledge about Chinese firearm and cannon technology. He also successfully extracted potassium nitrate from the soil[4] and rocks from Japanese trade routes, and developed Korea's first gunpowder.

Details of the were not known until very recently. Korean historians had found the schematics added as an appendix in the book but did not realize what they were until the academic Chae Yeon-suk identified them as the lost schematics of the . The schematics detail the lengths of wooden materials, using units down to 0.3mm. The schematics are one of the best representations of the acute scientific understanding of the Joseon Dynasty.

The saw most of its early use in the northern borders of Joseon, in the campaign to expand its northern borders by driving out the "Orangkae" ("Barbarians", especially referring the Jurchen people). Later, its uses expanded to coastal defence against Japanese pirates and was much used throughout the conflicts during the Joseon Dynasty. During the Imjin War, General Gwon Yul attributed his successful defense of the Haengju mountain fortress against numerically superior Japanese forces to the .

Overview

were divided among three major types: large, medium, and small. The 52cm (20inches) long rocket was launched individually on a handheld gun, and the launch was initiated by a fuse in the tube. Even after launch, the fuse would remain in the tube, consuming the black powder until it hit the "warhead" and caused detonation.[5] The fuse length was determined by the amount of gunpowder in the paper tube, and was adjusted depending on the distance that the missile had to cover so that it would explode on the target. Its range was around NaNkm (-2,147,483,648miles).[6] The medium singijeon was of the same construction and function as the large singijeon, but, due to its smaller size of 13cm (05inches),[5] its range was limited to 150m (490feet).[7] However, its explosive warhead was still powerful enough to make a 30cm (10inches) deep crater in a patch of sand.[8] The small singijeon was simply an arrow with a gunpowder pouch attached to it, and had no explosive capabilities. It was launched in multiples of 100 by a hwacha, and had a range of 100m (300feet). All gunpowder weapons including the singijeon used black powder.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: The new Korea: an inside look at South Korea's economic rise. Kim. Myung Oak. Jaffe. Sam. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. 2010. 978-0-8144-1489-7. 2012-05-30. 149.
  2. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8erR2mluxYcJ:www.koreanhero.net/fiftywonders/FiftyWonders2_English.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjsozg5IL81-jP_Lw-c-YL2MBdYFKnU8_7GBsZr_A84mNbnR5pOLhN2e-Xc7Fdk7NAgj5IngazAUFsal8IkrPON2hNB_HQcwfX7rruPJY6-ZoJqyOFNZ22EaMKTWCN30jxkPAIu&sig=AHIEtbRdGS56TF8sFZ4ooExjoVUlZJgJqg Fifty Wonders of Korea, Volume 2, Korean Spirit and Culture Series, Authors Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project, Diamond Sutra Recitation Group, Publisher Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project, 2007
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=9sawofv6lJsC&dq=hwajeon+fire+arrow&pg=PA82 Science and Technology in Korean History: Excursions, Innovations, and Issues, Jain Publishing Company, 2005
  4. http://seer.snu.ac.kr/trip/anc-4.html Seoul National University
  5. Web site: 신기전(神機箭). https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235716/http://www.koreandb.net/dictionaries/Viewframe.aspx?id=1133. dead. Singijeon ("Divine machine arrows"). ko. September 26, 2007. www.koreandb.net.
  6. http://www.pcbee.co.kr/nolruwa/know/kisti_view.html?num=72&sw=&pnum=1 Nolruwa.pcBee.co.kr
  7. http://user.chol.com/~knuephy/answer/physics/p0006.htm Gwahak Jilmoon QnA
  8. Web site: 절대강국을 꿈꾼 세종의 비밀병기 <신기전>. Sejong's secret weapon for his dream of absolute power, the Singijeon. ko.