Did you know Korea has an ancient incense burner made with world-class technology?
In the New Testament, there is a story about the Wise Men who gave Jesus the gift of incense. Korea has a 1400-yearold incense burner. A gilt-bronze incense burner was excavated in the town of Buyeo in Chungcheongnamdo Province in December of 1993. The incense burner revealed the level of art in Baekje(18 B.C.–A.D. 660), a Korean kingdom that lasted for about 700 years. It is over 24-inches high, three times higher than an average incense burner. And it weighs 26 lbs. It is the largest ancient incense burner in East Asia. It is evidence of Baekje’s high level of art and science.
This incense burner is shaped like a dragon holding a blossoming lotus in its mouth. It is decorated with 160 creatures, including animals, plants, and human figures. Every part is delicately crafted in detail, showing Baekje’s advanced technique. Baekje used a technique called mercury amalgamation, which creates a shape with mercury and gold and then vaporizes the mercury to leave only gold. This technique was used 1000 years earlier than the West.
The burner represents the state of the art technology Baekje possessed. How was it regarded at its own time? SamgukSagi, a record of the three ancient Korean kingdoms, described Baekje as simple but not shabby and elegant but not lavish.