The Story of the Twelve Animals of the Korean Zodiac
Horse
영상
Scenario
# 1 Main title: Horse
# 2 Opening: The Horse is the seventh animal of the twelve zodiac animals. Horse Hours are from 11 o'clock in the morning to 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The Horse guards the direction due south. Horse Month corresponds to the fifth month of the lunar calendar. Among the twelve zodiac animals, the Horse was considered the most dynamic animal. The Horse has continued to carry the energetic spirit of Koreans until today, regarded as a mythical animal that can deliver souls.
# 3 The ecology of the horse: The origin of today's horses is presumed to be Central Asia. The herbivorous animal is active and clever. Horses travel in packs. Built with resilient muscles, strong physique, and keratinized hoofs, the horse's body is suitable for running. In Korea, "Jejuma," or Jeju Horse, is famous. They were known to have been raised since the times of the Buyeo and Goguryeo dynasties. Jeju horses were small and compact enough to pass under orchard trees, so they were called "Gwahama," literally meaning "horses under fruit trees." Though small in size, Jeju horses had powerful endurance, and they were considered a precious asset.
# 4 The horse, more than livestock: To Koreans, horses were more than mere livestock. Horses were used not only as a means of transportation but also as part of daily life. They lived with and worked alongside people. Horses also played an important role in hunting, an important activity. In addition, they were a military resource that was important enough to be managed directly by the central government.
# 5 The modern society and the horse: As society advanced, people had fewer chances of using horses, but that does not mean the symbolic meaning of horses had disappeared.
# 6 Horses found in relics: The meaning of the horse found in ancient relics is special. The Horse played the role of a creature that connected this life and the next. Relics bearing the image of a Horse date back to the Prehistoric times. From the Gaya confederacy to the Baekje and Silla to the Joseon dynasty, the image of a horse in relics varies. The Horse in such relics was viewed and interpreted as a creature that transported the soul of the dead to the otherworld. The Horse carrying souls going to heaven and back had long been the object of worship and developed into a form of totemism. "Cheonmado (Painting of Heavenly Horse)," wherein the status of the Horse was raised to a heavenly animal, reveals the aesthetics of the ancient Silla dynasty as it was. The ancient tomb tells the position of the Horse in history. The fact that horses were close to man’s life was evident in relics discovered in ancient tombs. Many accessories, decorations, bands, bells, and the like were made to be used on horses. This tells us that horses were not merely livestock but valued animals that were close to the people.
# 7 The horse as a national asset: The horse was used as a post horse to deliver an urgent message and as a military horse to perform important tasks during the war. From the Horse Distribution Diagram of the Joseon dynasty, we can know that horses were the subject of important management. There were also medical books on treating and managing horses, providing us with an idea that people in those days made great efforts to manage horses.
# 8 Horse management in modern times: There are many facilities that protect and manage horses today. In the ranch on Jeju Island, horses follow a daily schedule. After exercise or training, horses are bathed. Unlike cows, horses do not ruminate, so in addition to the main feed, they are fed dry hay. A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including trimming and balancing horses as well as maximizing the animal's competence. The farrier at Jeju Ranch says, "Fitting horseshoes is called 'Jangje' in Korean, and trimming horse hoof is called 'Sakje'." The grown hoof is cut and shaped adequately depending on the physical strength and condition of each horse.
# 9 Horse management in modern times: There are many facilities that protect and manage horses today. In the ranch on Jeju Island, horses follow a daily schedule. After exercise or training, horses are bathed. Unlike cows, horses do not ruminate, so in addition to the main feed, they are fed dry hay. A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including trimming and balancing horses as well as maximizing the animal's competence. The farrier at Jeju Ranch says, "Fitting horseshoes is called 'Jangje' in Korean, and trimming horse hoof is called 'Sakje'." The grown hoof is cut and shaped adequately depending on the physical strength and condition of each horse.
# 10 Activities using horses: There were traditional games using horses. "Gyeokgu (擊毬)," a kind of polo game, reflected Korea's past life with horses. Players on horseback threw a red ball at the center of the ball park and hit the ball out of the gate. It was a game that promoted the two hearts of the rider and his horse beating as one. Today, we see similar sports. Racing and horseback riding are leisure sports with horses. The key point of these sports is in fact the same as Korean polo: the two hearts of the rider and his or her horse beating as one. According to a horse rider, "There are three categories in equestrian sports: show jumping, dressage, and team sports. As with the Olympics and other games, the charm of the sport is the rider, and the horse can do the sport together with him/her." Horses have lived with humans for many centuries. The horse's unique agility and quick adaptation were always helpful to humans. Traces of horses that lived with Koreans for a long time were preserved not only through relics but also in people's minds. The strong relationship between the horse and Koreans was history in itself built on vigor and challenge. A horse runs by kicking off each step that falls on new land. The energy of the horse resembles the spirit of Koreans.
The Horse (午) is the seventh animal of the twelve zodiac animals, and it cycles in order of "Metal Horse (庚午)," "Water Horse (壬午)," "Wood Horse (甲午)," "Fire Horse (丙午)," and "Earth Horse (戊午)." Horse Hours are from 11 o'clock in the morning to 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The Horse guards the direction due west. Horse Month is May of the lunar calendar. In terms of appearance, the horse gives a strong impression: fresh liveliness, fast adaptation, resilient muscles, smooth and firm physique, luscious mane, keratinous hoofs, and wild breaths. Such characteristics can be found in countless works of art, such as primitive arts, ancient tomb arts, earthenware, earthen figurines, and murals. Stories such as mythical tales, legends, folklores, proverbs, poems, and songs on horses have been told and transmitted orally, and many folk religions and activities are still being performed today. This only shows just how close Koreans and their life and cultures were with horses.
The image of a horse found in relics in the shape of a horse or its leg or a mounted horse found in ancient tombs of the Gaya and Silla dynasties and tomb murals from the Goguryeo dynasty can be understood as the buried and his soul riding the horse, which was the medium connecting this world and the otherworld. Although earthenware, figurines, and "Painting of the Heavenly Horse" might have used different expression methods, the purpose of the burial and ideology was thought to be the same. In funeral ceremonies, a horse was a contribution to the buried, who would ride the horse to the nether world. Both "Samgukyusa (三國遺事, the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)" and "Samguksagi (三國史記, the History of the Three Kingdoms)" recorded that horses were sacred animals or godly existence. When founding monarchs of the Korean kingdoms, such as King Gemwa, Bak Hyeokgeose, and Jumong, were born, the horse was part of their auspicious signs; or when the Baekje kingdom collapsed, a horse appeared to prophesy a portentous sign. The legend of Back Hyeokgeose and "Painting of the Heavenly Horse" gave the horse a supremely high status reserved for ancestor gods. Later, such horse was ridden by a groom, a young man, a lover, a pathfinder, a strong man and the like in ancient novels, prose, and folk songs throughout history. In Korean seasonal customs, the horse was one of six important livestock, and ceremonial rites were performed on the last day of January and on the last day of October in the lunar calendar to commemorate the horse god.
Some regions in Korea today still have the horse in the form of statue or painting or enshrined in local shrines. The Horse was thought of as being ridden by guardian gods of the village or was enshrined to prevent catastrophe against tigers (虎患). The Horse was an offering to pray for the success of caldron or pottery factories or was enshrined as the subject of worship. Horses have also been part of representative folk customs-meet-recreations, like "Gyeokgu" or Korean traditional polo, "Masangje (馬上祭) Ritual," and "Yakmahi (躍馬戱) Ritual" to entertain local gods. In daily life, the usage of horses developed from practical economic activities such as transportation and hunting to military and political purposes to promote domination and conquest. From the Unified ridden by guardian gods of the village or was enshrined to prevent catastrophe against tigers (虎患). The Horse was an offering to pray for the success of caldron or pottery factories or was enshrined as the subject of worship. Horses have also been part of representative folk customs-meet-recreations, like "Gyeokgu" or Korean traditional polo, "Masangje (馬上祭) Ritual," and "Yakmahi (躍馬戱) Ritual" to entertain local gods. In daily life, the usage of horses developed from practical economic activities such as transportation and hunting to military and political purposes to promote domination and conquest. From the Unified Silla dynasty to the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, the horse was utilized in various sectors: as labor horses in agriculture; as material in arts and crafts; as military horses in transportation; and as post horses in communication. These days, except for specific areas, tourist zones, and racing tracks, horses are hard to find; note, however, that the image of horses lives on in the minds of contemporary Koreans as it has been continuously used as the symbolic image of corporations or products. In that regard, though the expression of horses may vary per era, their very symbolism still remains in life in Korea.
