Korean Metal/Stone Rubbings Collection

Kyoto University Library acquired “금석집첩・속첩 (金石集帖・續帖||Korean Metal/Stone Rubbings Collection)” on April 20, 1910. Although Dr. Ryu Imanishi (今西龍, 1875-1932) suggested that Jo In-young (趙寅永||조인영, 1782-1850) had compiled the collection under the then Korean king’s order, it is not confirmed with evidence; there is a possibility that the editor was in fact Kim Jaero (金在魯||김재로, 1682-1759). Presently, 200 volumes of the main part and 19 volumes of the follow-up part exist, while the other volumes are lost. Except for one volume held by Seoul National University, no other copy has not been located across the world, which put even more significance on this only existing copy.

The features and the importance of the collection are as follows:

1. The collection consists of the rubbings of inscriptions engraved on metal or stone memorials throughout Korea.
2. The main part is considered to have been created in the middle of the 18th Century, with the follow-up part that includes rubbings in the former half of the 19th Century added later. Today, some of the memorials have been lost or deteriorated to illegible. Therefore, this is the only copy that shows what was originally inscribed there.
3. The content covers from the Silla Era to the end of the Joseon Dynasty.
4. The content is categorized into sections such as imperial mausoleums, royal families, lords, princes, ancient sages, academic disciplines and others. The subjects described there range from persons to temples, achievements, good government and historic sites.
5. The editors and calligraphers are the first-class academics in Korea at the time. The collection can be used for the practice or appreciation of calligraphy, because it includes memorials for which characters were gathered from the writings by famous Chinese calligraphers, such as Wang Xizhi(王羲之, 303–361), Yan Zhenqing (顔真卿, 709–785), Liu Gongquan (柳公権, 778–865), Su Shi (蘇軾, 1037-1101) and Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫, 1254-1322).
6. In general, inscriptions engraved on metal or stone have more credibility than documents written on nondurable materials and thus are valuable as the primary sources of the past.

(Provisional translation of the Japanese article by Prof. Yukio Fujimoto, Emeritus Professor of the University of Toyama)

 

“금석집첩・속첩 (金石集帖・續帖||Korean Metal/Stone Rubbings Collection)” was digitized and made public under the project based on the agreement between Kyoto University Library, the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University and the Research Institute of Korean Studies, Korea University in January 2019.
Reference:
경도대본(京都大本) 『금석집첩(金石集帖)』（Center for Overseas Resources on Korean Studies, Korea University）
『韓国古文献の世界 : 平成30年度京都大学図書館機構貴重書公開展示図録』

The following 20 volumes were restored by using traditional paper-making techniques. The documents written inside of the pages were also digitized in the process of the restoration and have been made public.