Incheon designates five Ganghwa artifacts as cultural heritage

Incheon Metropolitan City has officially designated five artifacts excavated from Ganghwa Island as city-level cultural heritage. The selection includes four tangible cultural heritages and one cultural heritage material, spanning the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties.

From the Goryeo period (13th century), the designated items include a set of engraved Amitabha and Avalokitesvara bowls, a bronze incense burner with silver inlay bearing the inscription ‘Seonwon’, and a small gilt-bronze triad of Buddha statues. These items provide significant insight into Buddhist rituals and metalworking techniques during the period when the Goryeo capital was located in Ganghwa.

The Joseon dynasty artifacts consist of a large bronze firearm known as a ‘Bulranggi Mopo’ from 1680, which offers details on coastal defense systems and military command, and the ‘Seondupo Chueon Simmalbi’ stone monument from 1707. The latter, designated as a cultural heritage material, records the construction of a levee and includes names of local officials and citizens who participated in the project.