Eight Gifts from Ming Emperor in Chungnyeolsa Shrine, Tongyeong

These are gifts bestowed by Ming Emperor Shenzong (r. 1572-1620) to honor the sacrifice of Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598), a renowned admiral of the Korean navy during the Japanese invasions of 1592-1598.

When Zhen Lin, the Ming navy commander who aided Korea during the war, reported the military tactics and achievements of Yi to the emperor, the emperor praised Yi and bestowed these military objects as an award.

The gifts include seven pairs of items, namely one pair of wooden tallies, two pairs of swords, three pairs of flags, and one pair of copper trumpets, as well as one single bronze seal.

These items were preserved at the navy headquarters that oversaw the three southern provinces, but were relocated to Chungnyeolsa Shrine in 1896.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08