Hwacha

A Hwacha in the grounds of Deoksu Palace

Hwacha or Hwach'a is a Korean anti-personnel gunpowder weapon. It consists of a two-wheeled cart carrying a board filled with multitude of holes into which sajunchongtong (사전총통) or singijeons are stored. Singijeon is Korean variation of the Chinese fire arrow, and, among the many forms of singijeon, the type fired by hwacha comrpised an arrow with a gunpowder pouch attached. Approximately 100 projectiles were loaded and launched in one volley, and they showered the enemies within the range of 100 meters.

Long before the development of Hwacha, China had imposed severe restrictions on exporting gunpowder to Korea. Yet, gunpowder weapons were key to the Koreans in maintaining a predominant navy in the East Sea to protect the fishermen and merchants against the Japanese pirates, Waegu. Therefore, there was an effort by Koreans to develop gunpowder on their own. Between the years of 1374 to 1376, Korea began its first productions of gunpowder. In 1377, Choe Mu-seon made Juhwa, Korea's very first rocket, and further developments led to the birth of the family of singijeons.

Hwacha was first made in 1409 during the Joseon Dynasty by several Koreans scientists-including Yi Do (이도) (李蹈) and Choi Hae-san (최해산) (崔海山). It is unlikely that the hwachas made around this time participated in combat. New generation of hwachas were made in 1451 under the decree of King Munjong. At the time, 50 units were deployed in Hansung (present-day Seoul), and another 80 on the northern border. By the end of 1451, hundreds of hwachas were deployed throughout the peninsula. Hwachas saw action most extensively in the Imjin War against the Japanese soldiers. They were mostly placed in fortresses and used in defensive manners. These proved to be powerful in many battles, such as the Battle of Haengju, in which 3,400 Koreans repulsed 30,000 Japanese with the help of 40 hwachas.

Today hwacha makes appearances in museums, national parks, and popular culture in Korea. Real-time strategy games such as Civilization III portray hwacha as important weapons -regardless of whether such depiction is historically accurate.

See also

• Singijeon
• Seven-Year War
• Multiple rocket launcher
• Sajuntongchong