By MASAYUKI SHIRAISHI/ Staff Writer
August 7, 2024 at 07:00 JST
The replica of a ship used by Korea’s Joseon Dynasty for diplomatic missions to Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867) (Provided by the Busan Cultural Foundation)
SHIMONOSEKI, Yamaguchi Prefecture--A replica of a ship used by the royal court of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty for “Joseon Tongsinsa” diplomatic missions to Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867) will be dispatched on a different mission here.
The vessel will make port in Shimonoseki 260 years after the original.
The replica ship will arrive in time for the Bakan Matsuri festival to be held here on Aug. 24-25.
The voyage will be part of the celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of an event held here to re-enact the procession of Joseon Tongsinsa.
According to the Busan Cultural Foundation, the vessel is 34 meters long, 9.3 meters wide and 3 meters high. It weighs 149 tons and can carry a maximum of 72 people.
South Korea’s National Research Institute of Maritime Heritage launched an academic research project in 2015 based on historical documents. It spent about 2.15 billion won (238.5 million yen, or $1.5 million) to complete the replica in 2018.
The Joseon Dynasty started dispatching diplomatic missions to Japan in 1607 to restore diplomatic relations that were severed after the invasion of the Korean Peninsula by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598), making 12 visits by 1811.
The last voyage to Shimonoseki was made in 1764.
The replica ship will also visit Tsushima and Iki in Nagasaki Prefecture before coming to the Yamaguchi prefectural city.
A symposium will be held on Aug. 23, while various events are planned on Aug. 24-25 for visitors to see South Korea's traditional performing arts and tour the replica ship.
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