Chiljido, The Secret Gate of Baekje

[Narration]
This sword is called Chiljido, and it means ‘seven branched sword’. As you can see, it has a long straight body and three branch-shaped blades protruding from each side.

[Tourist]
It is quite unlike the other ordinary swords. It looks like a cactus, and I bet it must have been really difficult to make.

[Narration]
Ha-ha, yes! There’s an inscription on the front which says that this sword was made by hammering the iron a hundred times. Making such a delicate iron sword with branches on each side must have required highly skilled craftsmen.

[Tourist]
What was it made for?

[Narration]
The reason is inscribed on the back of this sword. It was made as a gift for the King of Baekje to give to the King of Japan.

[Tourist]
Ah, there really was great cultural exchange between the two countries.

[Narration]
Yes, but there is a controversy on the nature of the gift. Koreans insist the sword was presented as a gift between two friendly rulers, while the Japanese assert that the sword was ‘yielded’ as an offering to the Japanese ruler. Unfortunately, the controversy will not be easily resolved because some of the key letters inscribed on this sword are worn out. It has been regarded as a matter of national dignity, so the interpretation of inscriptions on this sword is still a sensitive issue.

[Tourist]
Umm… that’s complicated.

[Narration]
I agree. But obviously, there was frequent cultural exchange between the two countries at that time. And we can see that Baekje people obtained superior iron manufacturing technique.