Bonguk geom

Bonguk geom
Hangul	본국검
Hanja	BổnQuốcKiếm
Revised Romanization	Bonguk geom
McCune–Reischauer	Bonkuk kŏm

Bonguk geom(Korean본국검 "nationalsword",alsosingeom신검 "Silla sword" ) inJoseon eraKorean martial arts(17th to 18th centuries) referred both to a type ofswordand a style ofswordsmanship.

The term was introduced in theMuyesinboof 1759, and the system was supposedly a creation ofCrown Prince Sado.It contrasts withJedok geom,or "admiral sword", a system supposedly introduced by the Chinese admiralLi Rusongduring the 16th-centuryImjin War(the "national sword" system is conspicuously absent from the olderMuyejebomanual of 1610). TheMuyesinbostresses the antiquity of this "national" Korean system by including the narrative of a Silla "Flower Youth"calledHwangchang,who killedBaekje's king while performing asword dance,known asGeommu,at the court.

The historical swords of the Silla period would have been double-edged and comparable to those of theEastern Handynastic period (see alsoHwandudaedo). However, the Bonguk geom, as presented in the 18th-century manual, is historically based on a single-edged sword; a type common during that era.

In contemporary schools ofKorean swordsmanship,the termbonguk geomis used to emphasize their "national" Korean character, without necessarily bearing a direct relation to the 18th-century system.

References

• B.K. Choi, Sippalgi: Traditional Korean Martial Arts, Ehwa University Press 2008