Material: bronze

 

First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to these objects--what details do you notice? Why did you pick these objects for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about them. Also, write down any questions you have about them--what kinds of things would you want to know about these objects? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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There are five mirrors here, which were produced in China, Korea, and Japan over several centuries.​

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.​

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What do we know about these objects?​

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These mirrors were cast out of bronze (a mixture of copper or tin--some have more tin than others, which results in slightly different colors). The other side of the mirror was left plain and highly polished, so that the owner could see their reflection. The back, however, was often decorated with powerful symbols.

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I have chosen to give you mirrors from China, Korea, and Japan so that you can observe similarities and differences. This is a good example of the connections between these cultures, and how they often work with a common symbolic language despite being quite different cultures.

 

Mirror 1: China, 8th century CE (Tang dynasty). 8.5 inches in diameter. Shows a dragon with clouds; the central knob on the mirror could be seen as the pearl which the dragon is seeking (remember the dragon and the flaming pearl, symbol of wisdom, from our class on China). Associated with imperial authority and prestige, mirrors such as this were exchanged as gifts between the Tang emperor Xuanzong (reigned 713–755) and his court officials. Legends hold that such mirrors possessed the power to summon rain. 

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Mirror 2: China, 10th-13th century CE (Song dynasty). Almost 6 inches in diameter. Shows two carp (known as koi fish in Japan). 

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Mirror 3: Korea, 10th-13th centuries CE (Koryo dynasty). 6.5 inches in diameter. Shows two dragons.

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Mirror 4: Korea, 10th-13th centuries CE (Koryo dynasty). 5.3 inches in diameter. Shows two carp fish.

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Mirror 5: Japan, 14th century CE. 3 3/4 inches in diameter. Shows two cranes, a turtle, and bamboo. In class, we talked about the meaning that these mirrors possessed in Japanese culture and traditional Shinto religion.

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The artists decorated these mirrors with symbols that had meaning in Korean culture (and East Asian cultures more generally). For example:

• Clouds: one of the ten symbols of longevity in later Korean culture. Could also be connected with the Chinese "thundercloud" motif. As producers of rain, clouds sustain long life. In their swirling forms they contain the Daoist qi (chee), or breath of life. When their vapors gather around the mountaintops, they represent the uniting of yin and yang, soft and hard, changeability and permanence.

• Cranes:  one of the ten symbols of longevity in later Korean culture. Cranes were thought to live for hundreds of years. Because cranes mate for life, they were also symbols of harmony, a wish for a long marriage, and respect for one’s parents and ancestors. Cranes also signify promotion at court, as they appear in the rank badge of Korean Joseon civil officials. In Daoism the crane symbolizes transcendence and serves as a means of transport to heaven. The Japanese refer to the crane as “the bird of happiness;” the Chinese as “heavenly crane” believing they were symbols of wisdom. The powerful wings of the crane were believed to be able to convey souls up to heaven and to carry people to higher levels of spiritual enlightenment. Famously, after the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a young girl who survived the attack but was badly injured began folding 1000 cranes in a wish for survival and long life. She died before she could complete the 1000 origami cranes, but the idea lives on.

• Dragons: Beings of great power and generally good will toward mankind. Connected with (and thought to have power over) rain--and thus linked to agricultural fertility. Thus dragons became symbols of prosperity and good fortune in general. Korean dragons, unlike Chinese and Japanese dragons, were often shown with a beard. The kings of Korea sometimes wore clothing decorated with dragons.

• Bamboo: Bamboo is one of the most versatile and abundant materials in East Asia, eaten by both humans and animals and used to make everything from houses to paper. It remains green throughout the four seasons and therefore symbolizes long life. Because it bends rather than breaks, bamboo also represents resilience, and its simple shape, humility. According to Confucian ideology, bamboo possesses the qualities of a great scholar: humility, uprightness, flexibility of mind, and grace.

• Turtle: Turtles are noted for their long life span. In addition, with their dome-shaped upper shell, flat lower shell, and legs in the four corners of their bodies, they were early emblems of the universe and the cardinal directions. In Korean mythology, the turtle is a messenger of good news in water, its counterpart being the tiger, the messenger in the mountains.

• Carp/koi fish: Because carp can live for a long time, they can symbolize long life and longevity. At certain times of year carps swim upstream and leap over waterfalls to reach their destination; thus they also symbolize perseverence and courage. Their scales are reminiscent of a dragon's scales, and there is even a legend that carp who successfully leap the Dragon Gate waterfall of the Yellow River turn into dragons (and in doing so, bring the first rainfall of the new spring season). The carp's ability to leap over difficult obstacles also made some people think of "jumping" up the social ladder, for example through education; thus a common saying in ancient China was "a student facing his examinations is like a carp attempting to leap the Dragon Gate." Carp were also connected to fertility, because they have a large number of offspring. In Japan, the carp are called koi and represent prosperity/wealth (perhaps in part because of their bright color), good fortune, and determination/courage. Buddhists also see the carp/koi as a positive symbol of perseverence: humans must navigate the treacherous waters of suffering just as koi persistently fight their way against difficult currents. 

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to these objects? What drew your eye? What do you like about them, or dislike? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the artistic details of these objects carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artist make when they were creating these objects, and why? Use your art terminology. In particular, consider how the artist depicted the different animals, plants, or designs within a relatively small circular shape--how does the shape affect the design?

• What do the symbols on each of these mirrors mean? If there is more than one symbol on a mirror, how do these symbols fit together to send a message about the hopes/wishes of the owner? Why do you think these kinds of symbols tended to be popular in Asian culture?

• What kind of person/people might have owned these mirrors? Consider the consumer, who is purchasing a new mirror for their home--or perhaps as a gift to another person. Why might they have chosen mirrors with these symbols?

• Keep in mind that these mirrors come from different cultures and different time periods. What similarities do you notice, and why do you think these similarities exist across cultures? What differences do you notice (besides the fact that they include different animals--I wasn't always able to find good example of mirrors from China, Japan, and Korea which all had the same animals/imagery.)?