The Sound of Baekje from 1,400 Years Ago Revived

Replica of Gwanbuk-ri Horizontal Flute Donated to Gugak Orchestra

The National Buyeo Cultural Heritage Research Institute announced on the 27th that it has recreated the horizontal flute excavated last year from the Gwanbuk-ri Site in Buyeo and donated it to the Buyeo County Chungnam Gugak Orchestra.

Baekje Horizontal Zither Reconstruction Instrument / National Buyeo Cultural Heritage Research Institute.

The Gwanbuk-ri Site is the location of the royal palace from the Baekje Sabi period. During the 16th excavation, which took place from 2022 to 2025, a total of 329 wooden tablets—the largest quantity ever found in Korea and the oldest dating from the Sabi period—along with a horizontal flute and other artifacts, were unearthed. The horizontal flute is a bamboo wind instrument played horizontally. At the time it was discovered, only one mouthpiece and three finger holes remained, and the instrument was found in a flattened, compressed state.

The institute conducted precise examinations of its shape and internal structure using three-dimensional (3D) scanning and radiographic analysis. Three replica instruments were crafted using bamboo grown in the area around Wangheungsa Temple.

The recreated flute features one mouthpiece and six finger holes, with no 'Chilseong' hole. Its total length is 31 centimeters. The pitch is about one and a half tones higher than that of a modern sogeum, and the mouthpiece is as small as the finger holes. A representative from the institute explained, "It was made playable after conducting acoustic restoration research."

A musician from Buyeo-gun Chungnam Gugakdan is playing a transverse instrument at a special performance of the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee held at the Busan Museum on the 22nd of last month. /National Heritage Agency.

In fact, these instruments were performed twice last month at a special concert titled 'Baekje Court Music: Oaksa and the Horizontal Flute,' held in Busan to commemorate the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee session. Moving forward, they will be featured in 'Oaksa' performances by the Buyeo County Chungnam Gugak Orchestra.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.