Glorious Past

Te Ao Hou, Autumn 1953, Page 30

Glorious Past Korea can look back on a glorious past. Koreans used to be famous for making finely decorated iron caskets, inlaid ware, lacquer work, bowls, vases, wooden money chests and brass ware. One of their most famous article was paper made of the inner bark of the mulberry tree, much sought after in China and Japan. In war, Koreans were above all inventive. The most famous war in their history was the great fight with Japan at the end of the sixteenth century. The Japanese then invaded Korea with big forces, but were beaten off after a ruinous war. It was then that the Korea developed an explosive shell–the first in the world–which the Japanese were unable imitate. They regarded it as supernatural, and it caused far more havoc through the soldiers. (Continued on page 47)