saenghwang
Illustration — A gisaeng playing a saenghwang (far right). The painting is from the Hyewon pungsokdo (1805). The saenghwang is a traditional Korean wind instrument.
saenghwang
- Field
- musical instrument · free reed aerophone
- Region
- Korea
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — A gisaeng playing a saenghwang (far right). The painting is from the Hyewon pungsokdo (1805). The saenghwang is a traditional Korean wind instrument.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for saenghwang. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q4217223 · wikipedia · Saenghwang
In this article
Overview
Overview
It is a free reed mouth organ derived from the Chinese sheng. It is related to the Japanese instrument shō, which is also derived from the sheng. The instrument was referred to historically as saeng or u during the Goryeo period.
Key facts
Key facts
• Hangul — 생황 • Hanja — 笙簧
History
History
It is attested to in Korea during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period. Sheng were continually brought to Korea, with the Goryeo court receiving it from the Song dynasty in 1116. In 1406, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty gave the Joseon court a sheng. Under the reign of Sejong the Great, the instrument was manufactured in Korea. During the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea, the instrument temporarily ceased to be manufactured in Korea. It continued to be played into the Japanese colonial period, with artists eventually joining the National Gugak Center after the establishment of South Korea. The South Korean government has sponsored some artists who play the instrument.
Description
It is constructed from 17 bamboo pipes, each with a metal free reed, mounted vertically in a windchest. Traditionally the saenghwang's windchest was made out of a dried gourd but it is now more commonly made of metal or wood. The range is from hwangjong (黃: E♭) to cheongnam-ryo (湳: C). Excluding the ui-gwan, the 16 coffins produced 12-yul and 4 auditory sounds, but since they began to be used for hyangak, they have a wider range. It is the only polyphonic musical instrument among Korean traditional instruments. Usually, 3 notes are produced simultaneously, 2 notes are octave, and 1 note 4 or 5 degrees below. Gisaeng (Korean female entertainers) are often depicted playing saenghwang in old Korean paintings. In contrast to other Korean traditional instruments, it is not well known today, even in Korea, and very few musicians are able to play it. It is used primarily in chamber music, usually in combination with instruments such as the danso (vertical flute) and yanggeum (hammered dulcimer).
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- SacrificeWork
- Sad MacTerminology
- Sad SatanWork
- SadnessWork
- SafecrackerWork
- SaGa FrontierWork
- SaGa Frontier 2Work
- Sagar VeenaTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with saenghwang?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.