article

The description of the kingdom of Corea

Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society9 • Published In 1918 • Pages: 129-148

By: Hamel, Hendrik.

Abstract
In 1653 a group of Dutch sailors on a ship bound for Nagasaki was wrecked on Cheju Island. Except for a Christian priest with the Japanese army of Konishi, himself a convert, these were the first Europeans of record to live in Korea and return to their native land. One of them, Hendrik Hamel, has provided an interesting account of the shipwreck, subsequent thirteen-year captivity, and a description of the kingdom of Korea. Only his account of Korean culture at this time has been excerpted for the Files. This account, useful because of its early appearance relative to to other European descriptions of Korea, gives an overall summary of Korean culture at this time. Much of this account indicates the slow rate of change in a culture which sought to preserve its isolation from its predatory neighbors, as mourning, marriage, legal, and political customs seem to be identical with reports written 200 or more years later.
Subjects
Culture summary
culture
Korea
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
Asia
Sub Region
East Asia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Foreign Resident
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
ER; Elden Johnson ; 1952
Field Date
1653-1666
Coverage Date
1653
Coverage Place
Cheju Island, Korea
Notes
[by] Hendrik Hamel
This document consists of excerpts
LCSH
Koreans