Empress Myeongseong's funeral procession: Part 1

A funeral procession ― possibly Emperor Gojong's ― in 1919 Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

• Published Nov 20, 2021 9:04 AM KST
• Updated Nov 21, 2021 9:10 AM KST

By Robert Neff

In the fall of 1897, daily sacrifices were made at Deoksu Palace, officials ― in mourning dress ― were familiar sights in the streets, and the songs of the laborers were heard day and night as they constructed the items needed for the imperial funeral of Empress Myeongseong (Queen Min), who had been assassinated in her palace just a little over two years earlier.

Finally, on Saturday, Nov. 21, the final preparations were completed. The funeral, which was to begin at dawn on Sunday, promised to be blessed with balmy and bright weather. Crowds gathered in front of the palace and along the route leading to the imperial tomb. Gorgeous silk banners and pennants fluttered in the air and red, silk-covered lanterns lined the street leading from the palace to the East Gate (Dongdaemun).

Throughout the night, officials, soldiers and residents waited in the streets for the funeral to begin. Of course, not everyone was idle.

“Groups of lantern carriers sat under their silky illuminaries and passed the weary long night hours by playing games of cards and dominoes; the vociferous sweetmeat vendors filled the still night air with cries, soliciting patronage and praising the quality of their goods.”

In the palace, “thousands of wax candles cast weird yet comparatively brilliant light everywhere and the burning of incense filled the sacred building [in which rested the imperial casket] with the faint odor of sandal wood.”

Sacrifices were made over and over, each accompanied by huge plates piled nearly a meter high with meats, fruits and other delicacies. Prayers were offered, bows were made, and the air was filled with wailing. As each sacrifice was completed, the food was cleared away and another sacrifice was prepared, complete with new food and additional incense added, so that “fantastic wreaths of smoke hung in the air.”

At 6 a.m., foreign diplomats and their guests ― dressed in their military uniforms with black crepe affixed to their sleeves ― arrived. After a two-hour wait, the funeral procession began.

Perhaps the best description of the funeral procession comes from The Independent, a newspaper published in Seoul in Korean and English:

“The hearse was carried by two hundred and twenty-two men and every five li [about 2.4 kilometers] a fresh corps of carriers relieved them. Altogether one thousand four hundred forty-four men were employed in carrying the hearse. The top of the hearse was somewhat conical in shape and ornamented with shining brass covered brass carvings and read brocaded silk awnings with hundreds of golden tassels, silvery fringes and red silky streamers. On each corner of the platform a large red wooden bowl was placed and filled with water, the purpose of which was said to be that whenever the water was spilled it was an indication of unevenness in the position of the platform while being carried by the men below. Therefore each bowl was guarded by an official who stood by and watched the water-level. Whenever they noticed any unevenness they warned the carriers by ringing a large bell, the shape of which was more like an ordinary dinner bell than anything else. The guardians of the bowls were each provided with a long red stick and brass inkstand filled with red ink. When they observed that any carrier failed to take proper steps his back was marked by the guardian with the stick which dipped in the red ink. If anyone had a red ink marked on his back he would not be paid or rewarded by the Government.”

The hearse was not the only thing that attracted the newspaper writer's attention. He described the funeral procession as “a mixture of European and Asiatic civilization.” The Korean police and Army officers were dressed in European-style uniforms complete with gold epaulettes and shiny swords. The enlisted soldiers ― also in European uniforms ― were armed with modern rifles and bayonets and kept in step through the aid of trumpets.

Other soldiers, most likely from the provinces, were equipped with flintlocks, rust-covered spears, gilded wooden swords, red wooden fans with elongated handles, silk umbrellas and long streamers, banners and flags of various dimensions and colors.

Another witness observed:

“Hundreds of scrolls recounting the virtues of the deceased; gorgeous silk banners prepared and carried by some of the powerful guilds; small chairs beautifully painted with some floral design, supposed to contain one of the 'souls' of the dead; six huge wooden horses in white, gray, and lavender colors, on carts, to be used in the spirit world; four men with enormous masks to scare away evil spirits, also seated on carts.”

The newspaper writer seemed especially taken with the masked men, who he described as “devil chasers.”

“The feature of the faces were simply horrible and undoubtedly they would frighten any ordinary devil whether he be mortal or spiritual. Devils may pride themselves upon their hideousness but they would not be in it with these chasers. The round eyes, 'as big as saucers' rolled round in all directions with equal facility. Sometimes the eyes protruded several inches; then again they disappeared altogether into their sockets. The mouths extended from ear to ear and the color of the lips was like that of coagulated blood. Yellow protruding upper teeth would make any elephant ashamed because of the insignificance of his tusks in comparison to those. There were six of these uncanny objects which were carried upon the shoulders of men and each man rode on a pony. The men could not be seen as their bodies were completely covered by the masks.”

It is interesting to note that the accounts ― especially in regards to the number of participants ― differed depending upon the witness. The Independent agreed with the Korean Repository that there were six horses, each mounted on two wheeled carts and pulled by 15 men. According to The Independent, “The horses were made of wicker and covered with paper and painted with gray and white colors. They were life size and four of them had on full harness and saddles, while one pair was unharnessed assuming a running posture with two wooden legs raised in the air.”

According to Yun Chi-ho's diary, there were “two pairs of Pang-sang-su or four fellows in ugly masks intended to drive away evil spirits. Eight wooden horses drawn on red painted carts.”

As the funeral procession passed through the gates of the palace, the emperor and crown prince bowed. They and the foreign diplomats would not accompany the funeral procession, but would instead proceed to the tomb site later that morning.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.