박물관 신문

Ten Longevity Symbols Late Joseon Artist unknown
Color on silk 210.0 cm x 552.3 cm
Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art

LONGEVITY, THE FOREMOST AMONG THE FIVE BLESSINGS*1

People everywhere want to live long, healthy lives. Unfortunately, human life spans are limited, so it is impossible to realize this aspiration to the fullest. That is the inescapable law of nature.

Ancient Koreans ascribed miraculous powers to those animals and plants that were perceived to live longer than humans do. The quest for immortality was passionately pursued by recluses and even by rulers. Chinese legend says that the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, sent the sorcerer Xu Fu 徐福 255 BCE-? to the east*2 to obtain “an elixir that prolongs life” for him.

In fact, the desire for eternal life is rooted in both Daoism and Confucianism. In addition, the ten longevity symbols were used as themes in traditional folk tales and sijo*3 verses written to wish one’s beloved or parents long life, good fortune, good health and peace of mind.

Daoism, which accommodates human desires, is a religion that has fused Yin-Yang, the Five Element Theory, and the belief in the “divine immortal” 神仙 with the tenets of “non-action” 無爲 and “perfect spontaneity.” 自然 As such, the Daoists’ ultimate concern is to live forever in an ideal world.

The concept of supplicating for long life is well borne out in the Daoist charms written in red ink on blue paper 靑詞文 for use in offerings put down by members of the Joseon literati. The white deer and crimson clouds were used as themes, along with allusions to the North Pole Star 北斗星 and South Pole Star. 南斗星 The gods of these stars were believed to determine people's date of birth and date of death.

One of the Confucian classics, the Book of Poetry(Shijing)*4 includes a poem called “Heaven Protects.”(Tianbao) 天保 This is a prayer for the king to enjoy the same kind of prolonged existence that the nine landscape features have, including mountains, hills, streams, trees, the sun and moon. “Longevity” is described as the foremost among the Five Blessings. Thus human beings have, since ancient times, worshiped objects around them associated with longevity. In East Asia, ten of these things, namely the ten symbols of longevity, have been used as themes in various writings and drawings, clearly demonstrating the utopian world that people dream of.

A SET OF SYMBOLS

The sun, clouds, water, rocks, pine trees, bamboo, herb of eternal youth,*5 deer, turtles and cranes all symbolize permanent existence or immortality. In different periods, the list was altered to include the moon, mountains, bamboo or heavenly peaches, while omitting some of the other objects. Besides paintings, the sipjangsaeng was a favorite decoration on household items (such as furniture or ceramics) because of the meanings associated with each these plants, animals and objects of nature as well as because of the universal human desire that they collectively represent.

First on the list is the sun, which has provided the energy that enabled life on earth to begin and subsequently flourish. The solar image was also adopted to represent the authority of the ruler or state. In this context, it suggests enlightenment or eternity. The Joseon literati were fond of writing poems on the sun, which was meant to signify the king or his benevolence. The sun is also the embodiment of the Yang principle, and its powerful rays of the sun were thought to symbolize youth and the prime of life.

The moon, which represents the Yin principle, waxes and wanes in a continuous cycle. As such, it is a natural representation of life itself, longevity or even immortality. The sun and moon appear together, along with either the Five Peaks Screens(obongbyeong) 五峯屛 or the heavenly peach, on folding screens set up behind the royal throne.

Pair-of-Cranes Insignia 19th century Embroidery on silk
16.7 cm x 19.0 cm
Korea University Museum

The use of clouds as a longevity motif is found only in Korea. The cloud symbolizes the realm of the immortals as espoused in Daoism, a transcendent world where the inhabitants live forever.

Rocks or boulders were seen as being among the most solid objects that exist in the natural environment, and therefore they stood for indestructability. They resolutely stand in silence over many millennia, defying the wind and rain, like the exemplary person 君子 in the Confucian tradition. At the same time, their graceful forms, which are sculpted by these same natural forces, made them an attractive subject for depiction in art.

Water is imbued with vitality and cleansing power, and is also the source of all life on earth, which began in an aquatic environment. H2O is presented as life-giving and life-saving in mythology, which explains why it was selected as a symbol of long life.

The pine tree, an evergreen, braves the cold winter weather without changing color or losing its foliage. In Daoism, grass and tree products were seen as foods that promote longevity, and pine needles as well as pine nuts were first among them. Given this background, the pine tree is both a symbol of steadfastness and longevity.

Portrait of Yi Seong-won) Late 18th century Color on silk
138.8 cm x 82.3 cm
National Museum of Korea

Like the pine, bamboo remains green throughout the year, and it is both fast growing and prolific. At an art motif, however, bamboo is also included among the Four Noble Ones, 四君子 along with the chrysanthemum, orchid and plum. As such it is more revered as a representation of refined character than as a longevity symbol.

The mysterious herb of eternal youth, bullocho, 不老草 is supposed to prevent the onset of old age and disease to anyone who eats it just once. It is said to grow in the land of the immortals. According to legend, the bullocho sprouts in the east as the sun rises on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. This herb and the mythical peach of immortality, described below, are important elements in the sinseondo, 神仙圖 paintings of Daoist immortals.

The peach as a symbol of immortality is linked to the Chinese legend of Xi Wang Mu 西王母, the Queen Mother of the West, a goddess who ruled over a paradise in the Kunlun Mountains, west of China. She was said to possess an elixir of immortality, namely a mythical peach variously known as the “immortals’ peach,” 仙桃 “heavenly peach” 天桃 or “coiled peach” 蟠桃 that conferred longevity on anyone who ate it. The tree put forth leaves once every thousand years and another three thousand years was required for the fruit to ripen. This tradition has resulted in the peach image to appear as decoration various handicrafts and a motif in folk paintings.

The deer was traditionally thought to possess magical powers for driving away bad fortune and disease. It was also seen as an auspicious animal that could bring good fortune, and therefore associated with eternal life or rebirth. Deer sheds their antlers late each year and grow a new set the following spring, and this ability was associated with rebirth and immortality. The deer is also presented as an animal that can live for thousands of years in the art decorating the Mountain Spirit Hall 山神閣 at Buddhist temples. The deer’s color is grayish after 1,000 years, turns white after another 500 years and then becomes dark black when its age extends to 2,000 years. The bones of the dark black dear are said to be black as well, a sign of immortality.

The turtle enjoys a long lifespan and lives both in the water and on land. These seemingly spirit-like qualities gave rise to its reputation as a creature that lives for ten thousand years.

The immaculate and beautiful crane was traditionally regarded as being auspicious, and immortals were believed to ride on the crane’s back to their celestial realm. According to legend, these birds could fly as far as the Milky Way and live up to 1600 years without eating anything. In folk belief, the crane was thought to associate only with clean and beautiful things and to eschew bad feelings so that it could prolong its longevity. The crane was also considered the noblest of all bird species and a metaphor for a sage, quietly living in seclusion, aloof from the mundane world.

For these reasons, these birds were regarded as a symbol of long life, and their image adorned gifts when wishing someone a long life such as on the occasion of his 60th birthday. The Joseon scholars wore embroidered crane insignia on the chest and back of their robes, while crane images were engraved into everyday articles to express wishes for long life and good fortune.

*1 The Five Blessings, 五福 Obok, are: longevity, wealth, good health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death (of old age, at home and surrounded by loved ones).
*2 The ancient Chinese believed a mythical home of immortal beings existed as a group of five islands in the Sea of Bohai, off Shandong.
*3 Sijo 時調 is a Korean traditional lyric of three lines averaging 44 syllables in a stanza. Each line consists of four phrase-groupings, with a major pause after each grouping. The number of syllables per grouping varies widely. The uniquely Korean genre dates from late Goryeo.
*4 The Shijing, 詩經 variously translated as the Book of Odes, Book of Songs, or Book of Poetry, is the starting point for the Chinese literary tradition. This anthology of some 300 songs, poems, and hymns was written between the Western Zhou Dynasty 1046- 771 BCE and the Spring & Autumn Period. 770-476 BCE
*5 This herb which appears in art as a mushroom or fungus is most often called bullocho, 不老草 herb of eternal youth. Sometimes it is presented as yeongjicho, 靈芝草 akin to an actual mushroom or fungus known in Korean as yeongji-beoseot, supernatural mushroom, in Korean and lingzhi in Chinese. Yeongji-beoseot is usually identified as Ganoderma lucidum, which has been used as in traditional medicine for thousands of years.

COLORS IN SIPJANGSAENGDO

In addition to blue-green, color favored by court painters, the plants, animals and natural objects that appear as longevity symbols in paintings were produced in the colors of the five directions: blue (east), white (west), red (south), black (north) and yellow (center). The imaginary realm of the immortals was done in blue-green to accentuate the look of opulence and beauty. The painting composition is organized diagonally, with terrestrial objects arrayed on the right and aquatic objects placed on the left.

The verses that accompany the paintings by Yi Saek and Seong Hyeon indicate that the pine trees were rendered in green; the herb of eternal youth was colored red, and deer appeared in white. In other words, the colors of the five directions were in play, and these colors are based on Yin-Yang principle and the Theory of the Five Elements. In addition, the sun, which corresponds to the element Fire, is put at the top of the scene; the pine trees, representing Wood, are positioned on the left. Mountains stand for Earth and are in the center of the painting, while rocks are on the right as Metal. Water, the fifth of the Five Elements, is placed along the bottom. Thus, the artists in traditional times took great care to follow a conceptual order in which colors were matched with the five directions, the seasons and relative positions within the overall scene.

A FAMILIAR SIGHT AT ALL SOCIAL LEVELS

The ten longevity symbols can be found on everything from the murals on the walls of Goguryeo tomb chambers to paintings, handicrafts, and buildings produced in Goryeo and Joseon. Their use is a supplication for the prosperity of the clan and for the long life of its members. Paintings with a longevity symbol motif were posted on the front gates of residential compounds to greet the lunar New Year and adorned the walls of halls where the king and queen resided. The government painters attached to the Royal Bureau of Painting 圖畫署 produced sehwa, 歲畫 New Year’s paintings, prior to the first lunar month, and these works were presented as royal gifts to officials close to the throne. As such they represented kingly authority as well as wishes for long life and good fortune.

Eyeglasses Case Joseon 15.5 cm x 6.5 cm
Sookmyung Women’s University Museum

The longevity symbols were loved by members of the upper class and appear on many handcrafted items used in everyday life. They include Blue & White Porcelain Jar with scene of ten longevity symbols in underglaze blue; ink stones and other implements for the scholar’s studio; Lacquerware Boxes with mother-of-pearl inlay; and various embroideries, to include pillow ends; cloth covers for spoon-and-chopstick sets; drawstring purses; Pair-of-Cranes Insignia; Eyeglasses case and Sedan chair cushion.

Blue & White Porcelain Jar with scene of ten longevity symbols in underglaze blue 19th century Iron oxide brown, and copper red
H. 37.3 cm, D. 13.6 cm (mouth rim), 27.6 cm (body)
National Museum of Korea

Paintings dedicated to the ten longevity symbols are called sipjangsaengdo . 十長生圖 Generally, the picture includes the sun and moon high in the sky; pine trees arrayed along the rugged foot of mountains; tortoises and cranes frolicking in winding, fast-moving streams and deer with a haughty air as if having lived a thousand years.

Sipjangsaeng as an art genre is not unique to the Korean Peninsula; Chinese examples abound. The Nature Scene a Cut Silk Tapestry 刻絲仙壺集慶 from Ming includes such subjects as pine trees, peaches, cranes, deer, bats, herb of eternal youth, bamboo, boulders and water, while the background is dominated by auspicious- looking clouds. In addition the Blue & White Porcelain with underglazed red and deer-crane ligature pattern 靑花釉裏紅鹿鶴文合字 is evidence of mutual influence both directly and indirectly between Korean and Chinese art. At the same time, country-specific tastes are evident.

Sedan Chair Cushion Joseon 69.5 cm x 69.3 cm
Sookmyung Women’s University Museum

It is not known exactly when sipjangsaeng first appeared on the Korean Peninsula. The earliest known reference is found in The Collected Works of Mogeun, 牧隱集 a compilation of poetry, essays and letters by Yi Saek, 李穡 1328-1396 courtesy name Mogeun, 牧隱 of Goryeo. This record indicates that New Year’s paintings with the longevity theme were already in production in the 14th century:

Lacquerware box with mother-of-pearl inlay Joseon
H. 68.9 cm, L. 36.4 cm, W. 23.3 cm

“We have had sehwa sipjangsaeng 歲畫十長生—featuring the sun, clouds, water, rocks, pine trees, bamboo, herb of eternal youth, tortoise, crane and deer—at our home for ten years already, yet the paintings seem a novelty. A person who is ailing wants nothing more badly than to live a long time. With this in mind, I write this poem...” This sentence shows that Yi was writing a poem to accompany a painting of the ten longevity symbols for the New Year and that he was sick. Producing the painting was an expression of his desire to act of regaining his health and living longer.

Ten Longevity Symbols Late Joseon Artist unknown, section for wall closet door
Color on silk 152.5 cm x 343.0 cm
National Palace Museum of Korea

Other poems by Yi Saek also reveal his ardent desire for longevity.

"My mind, like the sunflower faces toward the sun 心似葵花向日傾 / I recite in a loud voice and again write poems on the ten longevity symbols 高吟又賦十長生 / Should Heaven and Earth grant this person an auspicious omen 乾坤許爲人瑞 / I wish to repay the Sagacious and Brilliant one (i.e., the ruler) with purity and loyalty 願把淸忠答聖明 …"

Seong Hyeon, 成俔 1439-1504 a Joseon scholar from the 15th century Included the following poem in his Empty White Hall Collection 虛白堂集 :

"The sun and moon constantly shine on us, 日月常臨助 the mountains and streams change but are stationary 山川不變移 / The bamboo and pine remain undaunted when snow falls, 竹松凌雪霰 the tortoise and crane live to be a hundred 龜鶴享期頣 / The white deer is truly immaculate, 白鹿形何潔 the leaves of the red “herb of eternal youth” are also extraordinary 丹芝葉更奇 / Longevity has a deep meaning, 長 生深有意 something for which the spirits themselves owe a debt of gratitude. 臣亦荷恩私”

Ten Longevity Symbols 1880 Color on silk
Each panel 201.9 cm x 52.0 cm
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon

The list of ten longevity symbols was altered over time. Seong Hyeon includes the moon, mountains and pine trees while omitting the clouds, rocks and bamboo cited by Yi Saek. Seong then goes on to explain the significance of each object. Paintings of the ten longevity symbols produced in late Joseon feature the sun, mountains, tortoises bamboo, pine trees, herb of eternal youth, the moon, streams, and deer.

The records cited above indicate that the ten longevity symbol paintings, which were used by commoners in Goryeo, also were adopted as New Year’s paintings in early Joseon, produced in the Royal Bureau of Painting for use in the royal court. In addition, the court painters were commissioned to produce works needed by the court and royal family for both decorative and ritual purposes. Folding screens with scenes of the ten longevity symbols were set up for court banquets to celebrate the royal weddings of the crown prince or king, or to expresses wishes for long life on the birthday of a queen dowager or queen mother.

The Illustrations inside Joseon Royal Wedding Uigwe 嘉禮都監儀軌 from 1627 to 1906 onward indicate the use of ten-panel screens with the longevity symbol motif in eight different venues, starting with the wedding of Crown Prince Sohyeon 昭顯世子 1612-1645 in 1627. The screens were usually set up in the hall where the king and queen or crown prince and crown princess shared a ritual cup of wine after the exchange of bows. The symbols were an expression of wishes for the newlyweds to grow old together happily.

In addition, the uigwe covering King Jeongjo's visit to his father's tomb in 1795 includes an illustration of sipjangsaengdo screens at the banquet celebrating the 60th birthday of Lady Hyegyeong, the king’s mother. One such screen is behind her place of honor in the hypocaust-heated room of Bongsudang*6 and another is a backdrop for King Jeongjo’s seat in the front recess of the hall.

The Insider’s Banquet at Tongmyeongjeon,*7 portion of panels 2 of the Insider Banquet Paintings for the Musin Year belongs to a set of paintings produced to commemorate the court banquets celebrating the 60th birthday of daewangdaebi, 大王大妃 grand royal queen dowager, and 41st birthday of wangdaebi, 王大妃 royal queen dowager, in 1848. A ten-panel screen with the longevity symbol motif stands behind the daewangdaebi’s red seat of honor. Details include a dark red sun, cloud-shrouded mountains, water, pine trees, herb of eternal youth, and deer.

Meanwhile, the ten longevity symbols also accompanied rites of gratitude for renewed good health. For example, the crown prince*8 contracted smallpox in 1879, and when he recovered the following year, such Ten Longevity Symbols, now housed at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum on the University of Oregon campus, was produced. The scene of the celebratory ceremony on the crown prince’s recovery was also painted ten longevity symbols in the Painting of the Ceremony to Congratulate the Crown Prince on His Recovery from Smallpox as a record, and a folding screen featuring the ten longevity symbols stands prominently at the rear of the hall.

The second panel records the names of fourteen persons, including Yi Yuwon, 李裕元 1814-1888 who headed the ad hoc office in charge of treating the crown prince; Min Gyeong-ho, 閔謙鎬 1838-1882 a relative of the Queen; Yi Jae-wan 李載完 1855-1922; and various officials inside the Palace Pharmacy. 內醫院 The work is significant for its expression of wishes for getting well in addition to living long.

*6 Bongsudang 奉壽堂 is a hall at Hwaseong, the fortress in present-day Suwon.
*7 Tongmyeongjeon 通明殿 is main hall in the inner court at Changgyeonggung, the palace complex east of Changdeokgung. The “insiders’ banquet” 進饌 was held to honor the senior women members of the royal family; the few males who were permitted to attend were screened off.
*8 Crown Prince Yi Cheok, 李 1874-1926 the fourth son of Gojong, became Emperor Sunjong, 純宗 r. 1907-1910 the second and final ruler of the Daehan Empire.

PROLIFERATION OF SIPJANGSAENG

Longevity symbol paintings, produced in Joseon for royal court rituals or commemorations, also became widely popular among the populous in the late 19th century. They were used to decorate birthday feasts and the master’s quarters in residential compounds. These images also serve as talismans, pasted above entrances to ward off malevolent spirits.

Ten Longevity Symbols in the Painting of the Ceremony to Congratulate the Crown Prince on His Recovery from Smallpox (Close-up) 1879 Color on silk
Each panel 137.2 cm x 56.0 cm
National Museum of Korea

Over time, the ten longevity symbols came to adorn the walls of structures, the walls of palace compounds, and the sides of the chimneys that stood behind residential halls. For example, Chimney structure with ten longevity symbol decoration at Jagyeongjeon, the queen mother’s quarters on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung, is noted for its elegant decoration and designated Treasure No. 810 by the Korean government in 1985. The mural has such longevity symbols as cranes, tortoises, deer, herb of eternal youth, the sun, clouds, stones, mountains, and water waves interspersed with symbols associated either with conjugal harmony or many male offspring, including mandarin ducks, chrysanthemums, lotuses, and grapes. The combined elements express wishes for the royal family members to enjoy good health, long lives, wealth and prestige. This palace chimney boasts exceptional utility, a decorative scheme that serves as a prayer for blessings and as a repellent of malevolent forces, and a refined structural design.

The representations and usages of the ten longevity symbols described above show their artistic importance in residential settings. In Joseon, the sipjangsaeng were most often found in the palaces, and the images evolved into auspicious paintings related to customs practices by the upper class at the beginning of the New Year. Over time, these customs also spread to the general population.

Insiders’ Banquet at Tongmyeongjeon, portion of panels 2 of the Insider Banquet Paintings for the Musin Year (close-up) 1848 Color on silk
Each panel 141.5 cm x 49.5 cm
National Museum of Korea

The elements found in scenes of the ten longevity symbols also appear in part in paintings on other standard subjects such as Daoist Immortals; Immortals at the Queen Mother of the West’s Peach Banquet; the Sun, Moon and Five Sacred Peaks; Immortals and Peaches; a Pair of Deer; and the Star of the Old Man of Old Age. A close connection can be seen among them in terms of overall meaning although each belongs to a separate category in painting. All these works depict an ideal world in which beings live in bliss and bounty without end. The longing to reach such a utopia can be conveyed through paintings of the ten longevity symbols, paintings of Daoist immortals and Buddhist saints, decorative paintings for the royal palaces, and even folk paintings. In this sense, the sipjangsaeng can be viewed as an artistic summation of the philosophy of life and sentiment that Koreans have developed over their long history.

Chimney Structure with Ten Longevity Symbol Decoration at Jagyeongjeon Gyeongbokgung
Treasure No. 810