: About 1,400 years ago there lived a young man in Shilla, who came from a poor branch of the royal family. Although the family was destitute, his parents educated him strictly so that he would later restore the past glory for the family. But alas, he fell in love with a girl of lowly status. Upon finding out about the girl, the young man’s mother made him swear that he would never see her again. But young love doesn’t die that easily, right? One day, after a night of heavy drinking, the drunken young man got on a horse to go home and promptly fell asleep. When he came to, he found himself in front of his lover’s house and the girl was out welcoming him. His horse was probably following his master’s old instruction, but the young man, remembering his vow to his mother, killed the horse and returned home. The girl wrote a song resenting the man’s cold-heartedness and became a Buddhist nun. This is a story of the young General Kim Yu-shin of Shilla, who played a pivotal role in uniting the three kingdoms.

Shilla Fantasia / Geomungo by Chun Jin-ah

That was Shilla Fantasia with Chun Jin-ah at the geomungo. The young girl so heartlessly dumped by Kim Yu-shin was named Cheongwannyeo천관녀 and the Buddhist temple where she became a nun was called Cheongwan-sa Temple. One version of the story has General Kim building a Buddhist temple for the jilted lover later on. Her status remains a mystery – some say she was a gisaeng or a female shaman. The story of Kim Yu-shin and Cheongwannyeo is part of Shilla’s unofficial history so we cannot tell fact from fiction. However, it is assumed that the story is not entirely made up, but based on some kernels of truth, because the site of Cheongwan-sa Temple was excavated in Gyeongju back in 2000. The song composed by Cheongwannyeo has been lost, but there is a poem written by a Goryeo-era official named Lee Gong-seung이공승, when he passed by Cheongwan-sa Temple on his way to his new post in Gyeongju. It is sad that a young man had to part with his beloved for the sake of a successful future, but at least they loved each other even for a little while. Our sympathy should be given to Kim Yu-shin’s innocent horse, which was killed for just following his master’s unspoken desire.

Harim Fortress / Daegeum by Hong Jong-jin

That was “Harim Fortress” composed by the gayageum master Hwang Byung-ki and performed by the daegeum player Hong Jong-jin. Harim Fortress is where King Jinheung of Shilla was staying when Gaya’s famed musician Ureuk우륵 defected. The horse occupies a special place in the founding myth of Shilla as well. A white horse was seen neighing and flying up to the sky near a well and there people found a massive egg from which Shilla’s founder Park Hyeokgeose박혁거세 came out. Horses played prominent roles in other historical anecdotes as well. Goguryeo’s founder Jumong was also said to have been a stable boy when he was young. There are many tales about brave war horses which were at their commanders’ sides until their deaths. Also, a number of clay figures on horseback from the Shilla era were found in archeological excavations and the Painting of a Flying Horse is one of the priceless relics from the past, illustrating how ancient people valued horses. The year 2014 is the year of the horse, and not just any ordinary horse, but of the blue horse. So those born this year are considered to be luckier, stronger, and more outgoing.
It is said that officially the Chinese zodiac year doesn’t change on New Year’s Day nor on the Lunar New Year’s Day, but on Ipchun입춘, the beginning of the spring as indicated by the Korean seasonal calendar, which fell on February 4 this year. Let’s celebrate the real year of the horse with a song titled “Riding a Blue-haired Horse” performed by Lee Dong-gyu.

Riding a Blue-haired Horse / Sung by Lee Dong-gyu