Master Eibokken on Korea and the
Korean Language:
Supplementary Remarks to Hamel's Narrative 1)
Frits Vos
The Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society is to be
commended for its publication of Gari Ledyard's the Dutch
Come to Korea as Number 3 of its Monograph Series in 1971.
The book gives an excellent and richly annotated description
of the sojourn of Hendrick Hamel and his companions-in-distress
in Korea (1653 1666/'68). Dr. Ledyards's main contribution
to our knowledge of the adventures of the Dutch is his translation
and astute interpretation of a large number of Korean and
Japanese official and unofficial sources, some of which
had already been published and commented upon by Korean
and Japanese scholars, but which have been practically unknown
in the West until now. In his preface Dr. Ledyard writes
that he "was rather surprised to find that [Hoetink's
splendid edition of Hamel's Narrative of the Shipwreck and
Description of the Kingdom of Corea] consisting of a long
and detailed introduction and many documentary appendices,
in addition to the previously unpublished text of the manuscript
version of Hamel's account has been virtually unmentioned
and certainly unused by any Western author writing in English."
Although Ledyard often refers to Hoetink's text
and notes, he has contented himself with appending the so-called
Churchill version of Hamel's Narrative to his otherwise
admirable study. Dutch publishers of Hamel's Narrative had
already changed the order of the original and/or made sensational
additions of their own invention; these mutilations of the
text have indiscriminately been adopted in the French, German
and English translations. The text has usually been divided
into two parts: 1. the account of the experiences and adventures
of the castaways, and 2. the description of the Kingdom
of Corea. The most notable and ridiculous addition is that
concerning the existence of crocodiles
and the like in Korea: " We never saw any Elephant's
there, but Alligators or Crocodiles of several Sizes, which
keep in the Rivers. Their Back is Musket proof, but the
skin of their Belly is very soft. Some of them are 18 or
20 Ells Long, their Head large, the Snout like a Hog. The
Mouth and Throat from Ear to Ear " the Eye sharp
but very small, the teeth white and strong, plac'd like
the teeth of a comb.... The Coresians often told us, that
three Children were once found in the Belly of one of these
Crocodils." An annotated English translation of Hamel's
original text as edited by Hoetink remains an important
desideratum for all Koreanologists unacquainted with [17th
century] Dutch. Hamel was not alone in introducing 17th
century Korea to Occidental readers. Nicolaas Witsen
(1641-1717) provides us with much interesting information
about that country in his Noord en Oost Tartaryen, the second
edition of which is most useful for our purpose. Witsen,
whose motto was Labor omnia vincit, was the scion of a prominent
and wealthy family in Amsterdam. He studied law, philology,
mathematics and astronomy at Leyden University where he
took his L.L.D. in 1664. He also applied himself to the
study of geography, cartography and hydraulic engineering.
He was an able etcher and became a specialist in shipbuilding.
In 1697 98 he taught this art to Czar Peter the Great who
was then studying in the Netherlands. Between 1682 and 1705
he was thirteen times mayor of Amsterdam; he represented
that city nearly continuously in the States of Holland and
the States General of the Netherlands. As a young man he
had also served his country as a diplomat in Moscow."
For his description of Korea Witsen made use of the following
sources: Martini , Martino ( *
), Novus atlas sinensis, Amsterdam 1655; Montanus
, Arnoldus, Gedenkwaerdige Gezantschappen aen de Kaisaren
van Japan (Memorable Envoys to the Emperors,
i.e. ShOgun, of Japan), Amsterdam 1669; a report of a court
journey (Nagasaki-Edo) made by the Dutch in 1637; a description
of Korea by a "certain Slavonic (i.e. Russian) author";
information provided by Anreas Cleyer, chief merchant at
Dejima in 1683 and 1686; "a" report from Japan.
Eye-witness information was furnished by Benedictus Klerk
and Master Mattheus Eibokken
, two of Hamel's companions-in-distress. Benedictus Klerk
of Rotterdam was a twelve-year-old ship's boy when he arrived
in Korea. The larger part of his information concerns whaling;
some of his remarks about Korean religion and customs have
been translated in the notes accompanying this article.
Mattheus Eibokken of Enckhuijsen
(= Enkhuizen), between 1500 and the middle of the 17th century
one of the most important harbours on the Zuyder Zee, was
a junior (third) surgeon on the ill- fated De Sperwer and
18 or 19 years old when he arrived in Korea. Ship's surgeons
in that period actually combined the functions of physician
and barber, and were especially expert at applying leeches.
Among the survivors of the shipwreck he was considered as
a man of some importance, for on October 19, 1653, he was
together with Hendrick Janse (chief pilot) and Hendrick
Hamel (secretary/accountant) invited to visit the Prefect
of Cheju -do at his residence. There
they met Jan Janse Weltevree who
had arrived in Korea in 1627 and who was to act as an interpreter
and guide for his fellow countrymen until March 1656. Eibokken
is mentioned once more in Hamel's
journal; from the passage concerned it becomes clear that
he was one of the five Dutchmen living at Sunch'On since
February 1663. He was one of the eight captives who escaped
from Korea on September 4, 1666, and arrived at Nagasaki
nine days later. On July 20, 1668, he and six of his comrades
arrived in Amsterdam. On August 13 of the same year the
Heeren XVII, i.e. the Directors of the East India Company,
decided to pay him a gratuity of 150 (!) guilders in compensation
for the hardships suffered in Korea. Further details about
his life are unknown, but if we consider the fact that he
acted as Witsen's informant, either when he was nearly sixty
years old or even later, he must have been a man of remarkable
intelligence and blessed with a retentive memory. One might
suppose that he had kept a diary or had prepared a list
of' words during his stay in Korea, but in that case some
grave lapses in his vocabulary would remain unexplained.
Witsen's presentation of Eibokken
's information is rather confused and unsystematic; his
use of verbal tenses is very curious. In my translation
I have 'sliced' his often very lengthy sentences and limited
his use of capitals, but have maintained the italics. Witsen's
narrative follows:
* * * *
Mattheus Eibokken , surgeon, likewise
one of those who became captives on Korea in the year 1653,
has orally reported [the following] to me. It is practically
impossible to travel from Korea to Tartarye or Niuche
because of the height of the mountains and the wildness
of the land. Very few people are living there, and a profusion
of tigers, brown bears and wolves renders the passage very
dangerous. Snow always covers the mountains there. The root
Nisi or Ginseng grows
most luxuriantly in that desert. From there it is transported
under great danger to the large cities of Korea and also
across the sea to Japan and Sina. Those
roots which are whitest are considered fresh. They are not
found in the southern part of the country. [The plant],
has shining leaves. That there exists a passage from Tartary
into Korea may be clearly demonstrated by the fact that,
during his (= Eibokken's) sojourn, the Emperor of Sina presented
the King of Korea with six horses which
were sent by land from Niuche to Korea. He himself had seen
them arrive; they were speckled like the skin of a tiger
with yellow and black dots on a white ground. Their mane
and tail were white, hanging down to the ground. The Tartars
are called Thartse by the Koreans, or in the Chinese way
Tata. The east coast of Korea extends between north and
south; more correctly, however, it extends to the north-east.
Consequently the people there think that the ocean is located
in the north-east where there are always heavy storms and
the waves are restless, as in the Spanish Sea. How far Tartary
extends to the north is unknown to them, however, since
they do not travel far, either by land or by sea - this
being forbidden to the inhabitants [of Korea]. Likewise,
no foreign vessels arrive on the east coast except Japanese
ones, and those only at a place where they have a settlement
allotted to them. The passage by land from Tartary is not
only difficult, as mentioned before, but also prohibited.
As there are a great many whales in
the neighbouring north eastern sea, they put out to sea
though not far in order to catch these. They know how to
kill them with very long harpoons of
the same type as those of Japan. Although they rarely sail
to Japan, they know in which direction and at what distance
it is located. Without this knowledge which the captive
Dutchmen obtained from them they would never have been able
to steer their course for Japan, to which country they escaped,
for they had no map and none of them had ever been there.
From this one may conclude that, if the Koreans say that
Tartary extends to the north or rather to the north-east,
although they do not know how far, this is like their other
pronouncement that Jeso is an island separated from the
Tartarian coast. The Netherlanders found a Dutch harpoon
sticking out of a whale which floated ashore as a carcass.
It could be clearly distinguish- cf from a Korean or Japanese
harpoon, as the Dutch harpoons are hardly a third of the
size of the Korean or Japanese ones. The natives said that
they frequently discovered such harpoons in whales which
they obtained through their being washed ashore. This one
had come floating as a carcass, and [the harpoon] was bent;
I was told that it often happens that harpoons become bent
when they are shot at the fish. It may, nay, it must be,
that this fish, having been harpooned in Greenland, yet
swam so far away, was finally washed ashore, and died. The
sea there has strong tidal currents and the water is greenish
as it is usually coloured in an ocean. The above-mentioned
sailor, who has wandered for so many years in Korea and
who frequently went whaling near Greenland and around Nova
Sembla , is of the opinion that there
is a passage from there to Jeso, but he thinks that navigation
in that direction is impracticable because of the amount
of ice and for other reasons. And as for whales, it seems
that they escape from Greenland in wintertime because of
the too severe cold to the coasts of Jeso, Korea, Japan
and surrounding [regions]. For it is
then that they are most present there: when they have disappeared
from Greenland, but are being shot in large numbers by the
Japanese with their long harpoons. The northern and eastern
coasts of Korea are very fine and suitable to be called
at: until far above, or north of the Great Wall, so that
it would be good to sail there. The above-mentioned person
holds the opinion that one could very easily sail between
Korea and Japan, both straight up along the Tartarian coast
as well as in the direction of the Isles of Jeso. Then it
would not be necessary to direct one's course far towards
the east of Japan as the Dutch did in the year 1641. To
the north of Korea's sea-coast simple fishermen dwell; inland
there are few people. The Koreans have no relations with
the Northern Tartars and say about them that they are meat-eaters,
milk-drinkers and savages. In the north of Korea, by the
border with Tartary, one finds dreadful snow-clad mountains;
in that region as well as on the sea at the same latitude
it is always foggy and tempestuous. Although the countries
border upon each other, the Tartars, too, seldom or never
come to Korea. The roofs of the houses
of persons of high rank consist of both [regular] tiles
and tiles baked from porcelain-clay of different colours,
hence presenting a pleasant sight. The ordinary houses are
straw- thatched. One may come across roof-trusses of twenty
feet in length. There is a custom that military men in the
service of the King wear small wooden boards on their chest,
on which their name and function are inscribed. As the Tartar
Emperor has such great authority now, they are less afraid
of the Japanese. The soil is everywhere cultivated. From
wheat and rice good beverages are made, comparable in taste
to Spanish wine. The horsemen carry bow and arrows, but
the foot- soldiers use muskets. There are quite a number
of islands off the mainland; on some of them tobacco is
cultivated, on others horses are raised
for breeding. Porcelain is exported in such quantities and
so cheaply that much of it is exported to Japan. The silks
which are woven there are very beautiful. The technique
of drawing up water from a lower place to a high- er one
for irrigation is unknown to them. Consequently they are
even less able to exploit metal-mines. Diamonds are not
found there, but occasionally one comes across them and
they are highly valued. [The Koreans] still wear long hair
as the Chinese of old were wont to do. The walls of the
palaces and the houses of persons of high rank are made
of brick. The same applies to the fortresses and the ramparts
of the cities, but they are very weakly and miserably constructed,
so that they would very easily be smashed by shooting at
them. One sees there fields entirely occupied by mulberry-trees
for the production of silk. If the master of a house acts
against the orders of the King or commits some crime or
other, all the members of his household must die together
with him. Therefore, when the pilot, the leader of the captive
Dutchmen, trying to escape with the Tartar envoy, was beheaded,
all the others were threatened with death. Temples
of two or three storeys, entirely
built with stones, are found there. In Korea junks with
two decks and twenty or twenty-four oars are built. Each
oar is occupied by five or six men; they are manned with
200 or 300 hands, both soldiers and oarsmen. [The junks
are] mounted with countless small pieces of iron, and [armed
with] a large number of firearms. The Koreans wear peaked
hats. They eat with spoons as well as chopsticks.
It is remarkable how cold it can be in that country, so
that at a latitude of 40 the rivers are solidly frozen every
year and it is just as cold there as in our country. The
mountains are always covered with snow. Perhaps this cold
is brought about by the strongly nitrous character of the
soil. Grapes are growing there, but they rarely ripen, and
wine is not made from them. Pruning trees is not a custom
there, and they do not know how to cultivate fruit. There
is a certain fruit called canoen which is very tasty when
dried and resembles a fig. Mattheus Eibokken
has reported to me that they have a pagan faith in that
country, partly corresponding with that of Sina. However,
nobody is forced in matters of religion and everybody may
believe as he wishes. [The Koreans] tolerated his and the
other Dutch captives' mockery of the idols. The priests
there do not eat what has received life, and they have no
intercourse with women on pain of being beaten heavily on
the shins, nay even being punished by death as has happened
more than once. When there is a war the monks
, too, are obliged to take the field and to do duty. They
sacrifice many pigs and other cattle to the devil (although
recently the King has ordered the demolition of the majority
of the temples
dedicated to the devil, for which reason he is not so much
worshipped or respected anymore), and [afterwards] they
eat the offerings. Sacrifices are in great vogue with them;
if somebody is going to travel, sacrifices are made in the
hope of a good journey. The same happens when somebody is
ill. The priests have their heads shorn bald. The number
of monks living in the monasteries is
almost countless. Every year the King visits
the tomb of his ancestors in order to sacrifice there; and
to give a feast in honour of, and for the well-being of
those in the other world. [Eibokken
was able to tell me about this,] because he had accompanied
the King himself as far as the burial-place which is several
hundred years old. It is located six or eight miles outside
the capital in a hollowed-out mountain which one enters
through iron doors. Corpses are placed in coffins of iron
or tin. They are embalmed in such a way that they are preserved
without decay for some hundreds of years as the dead bodies
of the Kings have been preserved in the above-mentioned
mountain. When a King or Queen is entombed a beautiful male
and female slave are left behind alive in the vault. Before
closing the iron doors they leave some provisions for them,
but when these are eaten they must die in order to serve
their master or mistress in the other life. [On the occasion
of the visit to his ancestors] 15.000 soldiers attended
the King, among them a Dutchman as a body-guard
. As these people are very swift-footed and are able, with
shouldered muskets, to keep pace with a horse
, our man had great difficulty in following them. Firelocks
are unknown to them, for they use only matchlocks They also
employ leather guns, on the inside mounted with copper
plates of a gauge of half a finger; the leather is two,
four or five inches thick and consists of many layers.
These guns are put on horses, two on one horse, and are
carried in the rear of the army. Their length is about one
fathom, and rather large bullets can be fired from them.
The sterns of their ships are flat and
slant, in the same way as their prows do, somewhat over
the water. While they are sailing they also use oars; they
are unable to cope with foreign guns. Without special leave
they neither dare nor may sail far out of sight from the
mainland neither are they suitable [for such undertakings].
They are very lightly built, hardly any iron is used, the
timber being dovetailed and the anchors made of wood. Most
of their navigation is directed towards Sina. Gunpowder
as well as the art of printing have been known to them so
they say for more than 1.000 years.
The same applies to the compass, although it looks different
from the one in our country, for they merely use a small
bit of wood, sharp in front and blunt behind. Thrown into
a tub with water the sharp tip points to the north; the
magnetic force is probably hidden inside it. They distinguish
between eight points of the compass. The compass may also
consist of two bits of wood joined crosswise; the tip which
points to the north protrudes somewhat. Eibokken
was of the opinion that Korea extended further to the north
than is shown in our maps as is also stated by the Korean
people. Up to the northeast there would be an ocean with
waves as savage as those of the Spanish Sea. To the north
or northeast [of Korea] there must therefore be a sea which
is difficult to navigate. The River Jalo, also called Kango,
separating Sina from Korea, is full of rocks and, at times,
thickly frozen over as was the case when the Tartars crossed
it and occupied the country, for that was very difficult
by land over the practically impassable mountains. They
are not well-acquainted with glass; their windows are covered
with oil-paper. When objects made of glass like rummers
or small bottles, imported in Japan
by the Netherlanders, were brought over from Japan they
were highly valued. It was unbelievable to them that in
our country window-panes were made of glass. It is a custom
there to sing of all kinds of events in ballads and therefore
every day one hears songs about the deeds of heroes of ancient
and recent times. Their printed books are also full of these.
There are idols in Korea nearly as big as whole houses in
this country. It is noteworthy that in almost all their
idolatrous temples
one finds three statues placed side by side. They have the
same shape and ornamentation, but the middle one is always
the biggest. From this Master Eibokken
deduced that some adumbration of the Holy Trinity was hidden
here. When there is an eclipse the common people think that
the moon is struggling with some kind of snake. They have
an artificially made snake at hand and, while the eclipse
continues, they make all kinds of sounds and noises with
drums, horns and bassoons until the eclipse is over. Then
they say that the snake has been subdued and they chop up
their own clay snake in revenge and anger against the snake
in heaven that had the insolence to fight against the moon.
Since they have not reached the same perfection in mathematics
as the Europeans, it is, however, marvellous that they are
able to calculate the time of an eclipse. There are many
kinds of fruit in Korea, most of them known in our country
as well as many others, such as nuts, chestnuts, cherries,
morelloes, quinces, pomegranates, rice, oats, wheat, beans,
salad, and various tuberous plants. It is said that there
is much ambergris to be found. [Further there is] a lot
of lesser gray mullet in the sea, and there are lots of
poultry, pheasants and tortoises on land.
They do not use coins, but pay in small ingots according
to weight.
These people possess a vague knowledge of the
Flood. They estimate the world to be many thousands of years
old and [hold the belief] that in due time this world will
turn into a renewed or new world just as they assert that
there are many worlds to come and [many that] have been.
By way of punishment people in Korea were beaten to death
on the shins. There is an abundance of cattle, but they
hardly partake of butter and cheese, and even less of milk,
saying that this is the blood of animals. Dogs with the
exception of red ones as well as horses
are eaten by them, as they judge these [animals] to have
very tasty meat. They know how to prepare excellent salt
from sea-water. The Netherlands captives salted herring
with it; although it could have been done by them, they
were not knowledgeable about [this process]. The salt water
is boiled for this purpose, but they do not have saltpans
as in Portugal and elsewhere. These people are very good-natured.
God so they say is good, but they must remain friends with
the devil, that he shall not harm them. When they styled
the Dutch they called them 'men from the south, and in the
beginning they believed that [the Dutch] could live under
water. As their knowledge is limited to Japan, Sina and
their neighbour Tartarye, they have trifling thoughts about
those who are living farther away, e.g. that there are people
without heads and people with eyes in their chests. [They
also think] that there are regions occupied only by women
who, when they become voluptuous, spread their legs in the
direction of the south wind which impregnates them by blowing
in between, and more of such things. The King was so rarely
seen that some people living somewhat our of the way believed
that he was of a superhuman nature such it appeared to us
and therefore we queried them. They believe that the less
the King goes out and is seen by the people the more fruitful
the year will be. No dog may run in the streets where he
appears. They believe in the resurrection of the dead and
the possession of a soul which will experience good or evil
according to this life. All foreigners are refused admittance
to this country with the exception of the Japanese who as
has been mentioned before have a settlement for their own
use in the City of Potisaen. They are very much afraid of
sick people; they often bring them out into the fields and
leave them alone in hovels, so that there is hardly anybody
who tends and treats them. The people there become very
old: Eibokken had known many of
more than 112 years; they live in a very frugal way. There
are rather good surgeons among them. They do not know that
the world is round, and think that the sun goes to rest
in the sea at night. Very able artisans are to be found
there. The women, too, are skilful at embroidery; he (Eibokken)
had seen entire battles embroidered on silk. It is a custom
there to have rooms, under the floor of which there is a
vault of one foot in height. Through this [vault] they apply
warmth to the entire room by means of the smoke from the
fire in stoves standing outside. The King also has rooms
covered with copper plates which are used to torture, nay,
even to kill people. They pay much attention to soothsayings,
and good and bad omens. He (Eibokken) had seen one of the
King's horses killed because it had
hesitated when leaving the gate [of the palace] with the
King on its back. This was considered to be an ill omen
and [the horse was killed] to appease and prevent any evil.
He had seen gold- and silver -mines
there as well as copper-, tin - and iron
-mines. There are lots of silver which
special people have been allowed to mine, since the King
levies taxes on it. The copper there is very lustrous and
has a clear tone. He had seen gold- veins in mines. He says
that he even obtained some gold-dust from the bottom of
some rivers by diving. Yet the gold-mines were not so much
exploited as those of silver and other metals. He was unaware
of the reason for this. The Koreans are extremely afraid
of the Tartars and the Japanese, because they are very faint-hearted
to such an extent that when a battle or fight is going to
take place some hundreds hang themselves out of fear on
the day before. Christianity has not yet found acceptance
there. In their temples he had seen
large paintings, on one side of which sensual enjoyments
of all sorts were depicted, [while] the other side [represented]
tortures of all sorts. In this way they express [their belief]
that good and evil people would reap the fruits of their
merits in the other life. There is a royal prison there;
important persons who are imprisoned there seldom come out
again. The reason for this is that there is an executioner
living inside who is also not allowed to go out often. He
is ordered to dispatch this one or that one at the King's
pleasure. Justice is severely administered
there, and it is very safe to travel through the country,
as the people are modest, gentle, good-natured, compassionate
and polite. Those who had sold to the captive Netherlanders
the vessel with which they escaped by sea to Japan, were
put to death; so severe is the law there. In this country
there are emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones
which are unknown here. Ladies of distinction wear veils,
and conceal themselves from unknown men. The Island of Tussima,
also called Teimatte, located between Japan
and Korea, belonged formerly to Korea, but by war and treaty
it remains under the Japanese. Korea is very populous and
perhaps the King could call five times 100,000 men to the
colours. The soldiers there receive no pay, as the inhabitants
have to do duty gratis and for nothing. The cities are not
too well fortified. The capital is easily as large as Amsterdam.
The King may not be looked in the face by the common inhabitants.
When he comes near everybody must conceal his face or turn
around. After their death priests are
cremated in a thick coffin [placed] under a wood-stack,
but the hermits are buried like other people. The ashes
and burnt bones are not collected; they remain lying in
the fields unnoticed. These priests may abandon their profession
and then marry. The King has the power of life and death
over his people. Their customs resemble those of Sina in
many respects. He who comes to dine with them must carry
the remains of the food home with him. There are beautiful
horses in Korea and the people sit
astride them as in our country, i.e. not in the manner of
the Tartars. They let them run wild on some islands for
breeding. The Koreans are good at writing. It is told that
a Tartar envoy visiting the Court asked by what means the
Kingdom was protected and ruled, and that the King replied:
"By the brush." Thereupon the Tartar took an arrow
from his quiver and said: "Herewith we protect and
rule our country." Saltpetre is produced there in abundance,
and they make good gunpowder. This is moulded into big hard
lumps. When it is going to be used these are reduced to
fine dust like flour, for grains of powder are unknown to
them. Quicksilver is also found there. Soy is much used
there. It is prepared from horse-beans which are well cooked,
dried, kneaded into lumps, and pickled with salt in a pot
or tub, layer upon layer. Some water is added to it and
then it is left to putrefy and soak for some time, whereupon
the heavy parts sink to the bottom. After these thick or
turbid parts have been lifted out with little baskets the
rest is the Soy. In the same way the beverage sakki is made
from coarsely ground wheat mixed with cooked rice, the bulk
[of the mixture] consisting of rice. This likewise having
been left to ferment for several days and being putrid,
the pure and filtered juice is the sakki. The Koreans are
very clean and tidy. When they make water they do so squatting.
It is generally their habit to marry only once, but when
a wife dies they take a concubine; the majority of the women
there may be taken as such. For the sake of fortification
most of their cities are located on high mountains surrounded
by walls. The east coast of Korea is subject to many storms,
thunderstorms and fog. At a latitude of 43 degrees it is
as cold there as in the Netherlands at 52 degrees. Around
the southern [part of the country] are the best seaports.
There are many male and female slaves, but they are all
of their own nationality. Very much tea is produced there.
They drink it in powdered form and mixed with hot water,
so that the whole [concoction] is turbid. The bigwigs let
some of their slaves (of which some of them keep a few hundreds)
learn the healing art, but if the gentleman in question
comes to die, the surgeon rarely survives him for long.
Along their beaches there are everywhere watch-towers standing
in groups of four. If a fire is lighted on the first one,
this means small alarm, but in case the danger becomes greater
the fires on the second, third and fourth towers are lighted.
The villages in that country are countless. Gripping somebody
by the hair is [considered] quite dastardly and contemptible.
They write with brushes like the Chinese [do]. Porcelain
is made very well there, and especially bowls of rugged
appearance, having been gilt as per order, are highly valued
and in great demand in Japan. As to delicacy [Korean porcelain]
surpasses that of Japan. It is mostly made by women. They
can make a red beverage, as tasty as wine, which makes one
tipsy, with which the King once regaled the Netherlanders
at his Court The Emperor [sic!] often trains his soldiers
and has them fight against each other pretending that one
part are Koreans and the other Japanese. The Japanese, however,
are generally inferior and, after a lengthy battle, they
feign to flee. During the time he was a body-guard
Master Eibokken once saw twice 40,000
men fighting each other in such a manner. The King often
takes counsel with his eunuchs. These wear hairnets consisting
of golden strings and golden rings; nobody else wears such
golden strings. The larger part of the religious service
of the Papists in the monasteries consists
of sacrifices. A constant stream of citizens as well as
countrymen come there with gifts such as cloth, silk, rice,
food, etc., to be sacrificed on their behalf.
The sounds of the language of Korea have nothing in common
with the Chinese. This was Master Eibokken's opinion, because
he spoke the Korean language very well, but was not understood
by the Chinese at Batavia. Yet they can read each other's
writing. They possess more than one system or writing. Their
Oonjek is comparable to our running
hand: all letters are attached to each other. This [kind
of writing] is used by the common man. The other syllables
[sic] are the same as those of Sina. The Court of the King
is about the size of the Town of Alkmaer. It is surrounded
by a wall of stones layed in clay and crowned with indentations
resembling cockscombs. The city-walls are weak; they are
not accustomed to fortify them with guns. Inside the Court
there is a multitude of residences, both big and small,
as well as pleasure grounds. Here his consort, and concubines
also dwell, for he like all the people possesses only one
real wife. This Court is situated inside the capital Tijozian
or Sior . At the time of Master Eibokken's
[sojourn] the King of Korea was
a large-limbed and strong man, so that it was said that
he could draw a bow by holding the string under his chin
and pushing away the bow itself with one hand. The Koreans
of high rank are in the habit of having small pouches of
poison attached to their girdles. If in their opinion necessity
requires to do so, they can at once do away with themselves.
In this country much silk is produced, but no foreigners
buy it, for which reason it is very cheap. But by way of
Sussima or Tussima there is now some trade with the Japanese,
which is annoying to the Netherlands silk-trade in Japan.
This article is copyrighted
and published in the "Transactions, Volume L
1975" of the Royal
Asiatic Society (RAS), reprinted in "Hamel's Journal"
(1998) by Jean Paul Buys, also published by the RAS, and
published on the web with their permission.
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