The Life of a Korean

This is a pot for storing an umbilical cord. Mothers would keep the cord to wish their baby a long, healthy, and happy life.

A "baenaetjeogori" is the first set of clothes that a baby wears after they are born. They are therefore mostly made of very soft cotton.

This is how a table is set for a baby's first birthday. In addition to the food on the table, there is a paper scroll, a brush, and a ball of yarn for a baby boy, or a ruler, an ornamental knife in a case, a spool of thread, and a ball of yarn for a baby girl. These are used to predict the fortune and longevity of a baby's life based on the object that they pick up.

The "Thousand Character Classic" is a handbook for studying Chinese characters. It is said that 1,000 people each wrote a character for the book, hence its title. Every writer signs his or her name and stamps his or her seal to wish the baby academic success.

The "Oryunhaengsildo" is a book of ethics on the lives of 150 role models for the 5 Confucian morals of human relationships. It was written in Korean and Chinese, and illustrated by Lee Byeongmo, during the reign of King Joengjo of the Joseon Dynasty.

A "seosan" is used to count how many times a person finishes reading a book by folding down its edges.

The "Gwallyeholgi" describes how to conduct the coming-of-age ceremony for men, and the role of the master of ceremonies.

This is an item of children’s clothing originally worn at a coming-of-age ceremony, but also on auspicious days. The hem was decorated with gilt letters wishing for the birth of many sons and good luck.

This dragon-headed hairpin is used to hold up women's hair at their coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings. The dragon represents the authority of the king. Its ears and mouth are painted in red, and its mouth contains wish-fulfilling "cintamani" jewels.

This is a box containing the "sajudanja" (traditional letter) and gifts that a groom's family gives to that of the bride when they decide to get married. It includes an envelope containing the groom's horoscope, fabric to make a traditional shirt, and 2 golden rings.

This is a pair of wild geese made of wood. The groom presents them when the couple make their wedding vows, as a symbol of love.

This is a carriage that a bride takes to the groom's house after the wedding. The sides of the carriage are auspiciously carved with clouds, pine trees, deer, cranes, and mushrooms as symbols of longevity.

A "jokbo" is a family record book, and this one contains the genealogy of the Changwon Hwang clan.

This is a copy of the letter that the statesman Uam Song Si-yeol (1607–1689) wrote to his daughter before her wedding, asking her to act morally in her domestic life.

This is Hwang Ha-sin's letter to his son, Hwang Sang-ro. The letter was sent on July 3, 1720, and reveals that Hwang Ha-sin was worried about his son's well-being while performing memorial services during the hottest season. The letter uses the Korean alphabet.

This red sheet of paper with a name, grade, and date is a certificate for the civil service examination during the Joseon Dynasty.

The king presented paper flowers to candidates who passed the state examination. These flowers were attached to the back of official hats so that they would bend forward over the wearer's head.

This is a Chinese chessboard and chess pieces. Chinese chess or "Janggi" is a 2-player game in which the opponents move the pieces until one of them wins.

Archery is a traditional sport in Korea. A player shoots an arrow at a target that is positioned at a set distance. Korean noblemen considered archery to be a good exercise for training the mind and body, as well as increasing their virtue.

"Geomungo" is a Korean zither consisting of 6 strings attached to a wooden resonating chamber. It produces a deep, solemn sound when the strings are plucked with a long bamboo plectrum, and was popular among noblemen of the past.

A "sijeonji" is a small piece of paper that noblemen would use for writing poems and letters. This is a plate used to print patterns on "sijeonji" paper.

This painting of a shamanistic spirit was used in exorcisms to prevent smallpox. People would invite a shaman to conduct exorcisms to prevent or treat infectious diseases, and towns held public exorcisms in the hope of a successful recovery from smallpox.

This compass would have been used by a feng shui expert or geomancer to find suitable places for tombs or houses.

This 1726 painting of the Park family tomb in Seo-myeon, Mujang-hyeon (Jeollabuk-do Province) includes an image of the landscape that also acts as a compass, with Janggunsan Mountain as North.

This is a bier built in 1856 for the funeral of Choi Pilju of the Jeonju Choi clan in Sancheong (Gyeongsangnam-do Province). Built as a carriage to transport the body to the tomb, this bier resembles a 4-story building and is decorated with carved wooden figures and statues of the 12 zodiac animals.

This is a cabinet placed in shrines to hold the memorial tablet representing the ancestors. The tablet is brought out for memorial services and returned to the shrine afterward.