The Korean nation with a long history spanning over 5 thousand years and brilliant cultural tradition has created many material and cultural treasures to be proud of in the world.
Among them is Koryo bell well known to the world for its originality and superiority in its form and pattern decoration.
It has its own peculiar features in its structure and pattern decoration distinctive from the bells in other countries.
- Its characteristic is the grandiose in its structure.
First, the hook is ornamented with single-dragon-head, and it is vivid in its delineation.
The Koryo bells have single-dragon-head hooks though they were made in different periods.
Hence the hook is normally called a “dragon-head.”
The dragon-head of Koryo bell depicts different forms including a dragon that stoops its body in “∩” shape with its head bowing or craning out and with wide-opened mouth, the one that bends its body in “S” shape with its head craning out and with wide-opened mouth and the one that thrusts out or lifts one of its paws and stretches out or lift its rear paw while coiling around the bell and raising its head and so on.
And even though they are the same-shaped dragon-head, they are different in their figures including the dragon head with or without Youiju, a grass bead, the legendary bead making every talent, in his mouth, the one with or without sticking out the tongue, the one with or without flaming wings and the one with or without Youiju in the sole of the front or rear paws and so on.
And the different depictions including a horn on the head, projected eyeballs, sharp teeth and claws, scattering mane, scaled body and etc. characterize the features of fierce and valiant dragon more vividly.
Secondly, behind the dragon head is a circular sound box that makes the sound beautiful.
Thirdly, the body of the bell is beautiful and rich.
As it assumes the form of converted glass, the body of the Koryo bell is well-balanced, fluent-curved from its shoulders to mouth to give potbellied feeling and its mouth is a bit concaved to give the feeling that the body is richer.
- Next, its characteristic is that it is delicate and splendor in the pattern decoration.
First, images of fairy and Buddha are embossed at the center of the body.
In general, images of fairies and Buddha are embossed on most of the bodies of Koryo bell but some are embossed with only fairies, some with only Buddha and some with both according to the period.
There are beautiful fairies on the clouds flying over the sky; playing pipha, a flute, jotdae and janggo kneeling with fluttering clothes on gathering clouds or lotus, or dancing to the tunes of their playing, or offering with an incense burner on their two hands or flying over the sky on clouds.
There are images of Buddha sitting cross-legged or standing on the pedestal of lotus or standing with the sunbeams emitting from his head or body, and above the head of some images of Buddha are fret patterns.
Secondly, there are splendid decorations on the body of the bell with different patterns; the floral patterns such as lotus, peony and Bengal rose and the liana pattern or fret pattern.
The patterns on the Koryo bell are decorated on the upper and lower parts of the body with the images of fairies and Buddha at its centre, and they are called shoulder belt, mouth belt, bell nipples and a seat for tolling the bell.
The shoulder and the mouth belts are framed with stripes and beads. Inside the frames are liana patterns of lotus, peony and Bengal rose or lotus are embossed on semi-circular patterns at regular intervals or only the liana patterns and frets are engraved.
Such patterns are not only much diversified in depiction but also delicate in delineation thus adding beauty to the bells.
Nipples of the bell are arranged on 4 parts on the bell in symmetry bellow the shoulder belt and their patterns are as the same as the shoulder belt in general.
9 lotus-bud or nipples are arranged in good order in 3 tiers and 3 rows.
The seats for tolling the bell are decorated with lotus or Bengal rose patterns and 2 or 4 seats are arranged in symmetry between the images of fairies or Buddha.
Like this, Koryo bell proves distinguished creative talents and artistic creation of the then Korean people as it shows high formative arts and seasoned sculpturing art not only in its structure and form but also in design.
