() was a type of Korean

fire arrow Fire arrows were one of the earliest forms of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward. Not to be confused with earlier incendiary arrow projectiles, the fire arrow was a gunpowder weapon which receives its name from the tra ...

rocket, used during the era of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

(1392–1897). Multiple ''sin'gijŏn'' could be launched by (multiple rocket launcher).

History

During the late 14th century, in order to gain ascendancy at sea against Japanese pirates ( or ), fire arrows called () were used, which would become the predecessor of the ''sin'gijŏn''. The Koreans had tried to acquire rockets and gunpowder and their production methods from China. The Chinese, however, regarded the technology of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

as a state secret and restricted access to it and trade in its nitrous raw materials (which could only be found in China). The Koreans therefore sought to acquire the manufacturing secrets of gunpowder for themselves and, in 1374 (–1376),

Ch'oe Musŏn Ch'oe Musŏn (; 1330–1395) was a medieval Korean chemist, inventor, and military general during the late Goryeo Dynasty and early Joseon Dynasty. He is best known for enabling Korea to domestically produce gunpowder by obtaining a recipe fo ...

was able to bribe a Chinese merchant to obtain the secret formula for manufacturing

, as well as limited technical knowledge about Chinese firearm and

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

technology. He also successfully extracted

potassium nitrate Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nit ...

from the

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

Seoul National University
/ref> and rocks from Japanese trade routes, and developed Korea's first gunpowder. Details of the ''sin'gijŏn'' were not known until very recently. Korean historians had found the

schematics A schematic, or schematic diagram, is a designed representation of the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the key information the sc ...

added as an appendix in the book () but did not realize what they were until the academic Chae Yeon-suk identified them as the lost schematics of the ''sin'gijŏn''. The schematics detail the lengths of wooden materials, using units down to . The schematics are one of the best representations of the acute scientific understanding of the Joseon Dynasty. The ''sin'gijŏn'' saw most of its early use in the northern borders of Joseon, in the campaign to expand its northern borders by driving out the " Orangkae" ("Barbarians", especially referring the

Jurchen people Jurchen (, ; , ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian people, East Asian Tungusic languages, Tungusic-speaking people. They lived in northeastern China, also known as Manchuria, before the 18th century. The Jurchens wer ...

). Later, its uses expanded to coastal defence against Japanese pirates and was much used throughout the conflicts during the

. During the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

, General Kwŏn Yul attributed his successful defense of the fortress

Haengjusanseong Haengjusanseong () is an ancient Korean fortress in Deogyang District, Goyang, South Korea. On January 21, 1963, it was designated Historic Site of South Korea No. 56. It was built during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period, possibly around the ...

against numerically superior Japanese forces to the .

Overview

''Sin'gijŏn'' were divided among three major types: large, medium, and small. The long

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

was launched individually on a handheld gun, and the launch was initiated by a fuse in the tube. Even after launch, the fuse would remain in the tube, consuming the

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

until it hit the "warhead" and caused detonation. The fuse length was determined by the amount of gunpowder in the paper tube, and was adjusted depending on the distance that the missile had to cover so that it would explode on the target. Its range was around .Nolruwa.pcBee.co.kr
The medium ''sin'gijŏn'' was of the same construction and function as the large ''sin'gijŏn'', but, due to its smaller size of , its range was limited to .
However, its explosive warhead was still powerful enough to make a deep crater in a patch of sand. The small ''sin'gijŏn'' was simply an arrow with a gunpowder pouch attached to it, and had no explosive capabilities. It was launched in multiples of 100 by a

hwacha The ''hwacha'' or ''hwach'a'' () was a multiple rocket launcher and an organ gun of similar design which were developed in fifteenth century Korea. It resembled a wooden cart with a launch pad attached, and it had up to 200 tiny Sin'gijŏn, sing ...

, and had a range of . All gunpowder weapons including the ''sin'gijŏn'' used black powder.

References

{{Early firearms Early firearms Early rocketry Firearms of Korea Korean inventions Rocket artillery Traditional Korean weapons

History

Overview

See also

References