Three Heavenly Seals
The Three Heavenly Seals, also known as Ch'ŏnbuin, as recounted in the Samguk yusa, were tokens of authority bestowed from the god Hwanin to his son Hwanung for his descent from the heavens.
Though the relics are often associated with Bronze Age of Korea due to their material and production methods, their significance and meaning lie more on Korean shamanism and native beliefs.
Overview
According to 20th century pro-Japanese Korean historian Ch'oe Namsŏn, the treasures consist of three bronze items; a bronze dagger, a bronze mirror and a bronze bell. These items were mostly used as religious symbols rather than tools of intended purpose, and are considered unique to the Korean people and their heritage. The relics and their variants are part of the shamanistic tools called mugu and are still used to this day by Korean shamans, though many of them have been succeeded by other ritual devices such as the mengdu.The dagger, mirror, and bell are referred to as the "Heavenly Blade ", "Heavenly Mirror ", and "Heavenly Bell ", respectively.
Bipahyeongdonggeom
The bronze dagger, often referred to as "BipaDanyujomungyeong
The bronze mirror of the Three Heavenly Seals known as "Danyujomungyeong " is a symbolism of heroism reflected by the mirror. The mirror itself is an example of a "Rough-patterned mirror " and are excavated commonly with the lute-shaped daggers in Northeast Asia.Paljuryeong
The bronze bell, also known as or paljuryeong, is a unique design found only in Korea. Its eight-armed shape is attached with a bell at each end and produces a "majestic" sound when rattled.The bell has evolved over the many years, and has been succeeded by other bell designs such as the shaman bell which bears a similar design with the suzu of Japan.
Legacy
The relics may provide an insight to the topic of influx of migrants within the history of Korea. The story of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun, is considered as a founding legend of the Yemaek people in northern Korea, and with the significance of the Three Heavenly Seals and their counterparts found in places such as Japan, it can be deduced that the beliefs that originated in Siberia were carried over to the Korean peninsula and later to the Japanese archipelago via migration.Ch'oe Namsŏn posited that the similarities of ritual relics found in Manchuria, Korea, and Japan signified the evolution and transmission of shamanistic beliefs of Northeast Asia as myths similar to that of Dangun are found in Ainu and Siberian cultures.