伽倻琴의 由來와 構造

The Origin and Structure of Kayagŭm

Of the two kinds of kayagŭm extant in Korea today, this paper will concentrate on the origin and structure of the original form, the p ungnyu kayagŭm. It will also briefly mention the origin and strucuture of the sanjo kayagŭm. The paper consists of two parts, the first dealing with the origin of the kayagŭm. and the second examining the structural differences between the kayagŭm and other long zithers of East Asia. Records suggest that there was a string instrument of some kind called Ko in the south-eastern part of Korea long before the sixth century, when King Kashil and the first composer of kayagŭm music, Urŭk (credited with inventing the kayagŭm), lived. Thus, it is difficult to accept the theory that Kashil invented the kayagŭm after the model of the Chinese zheng. Also, the instrument of south-eastern Korea called the Ko is said to have resembled the ch uk, so that it is connected with the East Asian chukt onggŭm (bamboo tube zither). We must also consider that the place where the kayagŭm originated, the Kaya kingdom, was connected with the southern cultural region, not with China. The kayagŭm is generally thought to have originated in Greater Kaya, which had its capital in Koryrŏng, now in North Kyŏngsang Province, but this belief is largely unfounded. This idea is founded solely on an article in the Shinjŭngtonggukyŏji sŏngnam that mentins a kŭmgok. This book, dated 1530, is an enlarged edition of the 1481 Tonggukyŏjisŏngnam. Thus, events concerning King Kashil, Urŭk, and Sŏng Yŏl-hyŏn call for deeper investigation. In terms of its structure, too, the kayagŭm belongs to a different category from the East Asian string instruments, in particular the sŭl and kŭm of Han China, from which it is said to have originated. The kayagŭm is different from other long zithers in the following respects: (1) Structure of the body The body of the kayagŭm is not of the box type, but is that of a heterochord half-tube zither, of which it is the sole example in East Asia. (2) Feet The kayagŭm has no feet attached. This suggests that it was originally held by the player, not placed on the floor. (3) Strap The kayagŭm once had a strap for carrying. This shows that it may have been suspended from the neck while playing, or at least carried by the strap. (4) Neck and head The kayagŭm is an instrument with a head, neck, and body. In this it is opposed to the general trend of long zithers in East Asia. The shape of the head has changed over time, but in the early period it was close to that of a cow horn. This shows the possibility that it originated, not from the Han culture, but from an instrument used by nomadic or agricultural people of East Asia. (5) Bridge The bridge of the kayagŭm is different from that of other East Asian long zithers. Its height and width cahnge with the tension of the strings. (6) Thick paper The kayagŭm of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries had thick paper placed under the coils of string to reduce the noise produced by vibration. (7) Sound holes In the fifteenth century the kayagŭm had semicircular holes in the upper part of the body which appear to have been sound holes. Finally, I infer that the sanjo koyagŭm arose, not in the nineteenth century as is commonly thought, but as early as in the fifteenth century. In conclusion, the koyagŭm is an instrument originating in the bamboo tube zither of South-east Asia or the Indian Ocean region. In its present form, it has many features that clearly distinguish it from the other long zithers of East Asia. Despite its origins, it was developed by King Kashil after the mod