Hamel’s Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea, 1654-1666, Revised Edition. Hendrik Hamel. Translated by Jean-Paul Buys. Seoul Computer Press, 1998.

Hamel’s Journal is the story of Hendrik Hamel, the bookkeeper of the Dutch Ship Sperwer (‘Sparrow Hawk’ – now you know the origin of the blog of the same name), that shipwrecked on the coast of Cheju in 1653. Hamel and several of the crew remained in Korea involuntarily until 1666, while others were there for a few more years, and approximately two-thirds of the Sperwer’s survivors died in Korea. From a Korean history standpoint I consider this book a must read, as it is the earliest Western account of Korean society.

This version of Hamel’s account is a direct translation from the Middle Dutch manuscript. Previous English editions were based on a French translation that apparently contained many errors.

On 18 June 1653, the Sperwer left Batavia (Jakarta) for Formosa (Taiwan), and after a stop there, continued on towards Nagasaki, Japan. They wrecked on the coast of Cheju on 15 August, with 36 of the 64 on board surviving. After a few days they were discovered by the inhabitants of Cheju and taken prisoner. Hamel notes significant difficulty in communication with the Koreans, but also notes that, “we were taken care of by a heathen in a way that would put many a Christian to shame.” (8)

The governor of Cheju sent word to the king in Seoul, and on 29 October an envoy arrived; a Dutchmen by the name of Jan Janse Weltevree, who had been shipwrecked in Korea in 1627, or 26 years earlier. Weltevree, who was then about 57 or 58 years old, had learned Korean and become an interpreter. He took their story back to the King, and in May 1654 the survivors of the Sperwer were finally moved to Seoul. Like Weltevree, Hamel and the crew of the Sperwer would be allowed to live in Korea, but would not be allowed to leave, a fate they were not agreeable with.

In 1656 a few crew approached a Manchu envoy and begged permission to leave Korea. Those crew members were jailed, and rumored to have been executed. As a result of their going to the Manchu envoy, the remaining crew members, who had been training as soldiers with the King’s bodyguards, were eventually moved to a military fortress in Pyŏngyŏng, Chŏlla Nam-do, where there were to under the control of the commander.

Hamel describes their daily life, which was greatly affected by who the local commander was, and as the commanders of the fort changed yearly (or more often, depending), that meant a good deal of variety in treatment and circumstances. It is apparent from the detail in dates, place names, and so on that he must have kept a journal that he brought out to Holland, and perhaps the ships log.

The crew had both good times and bad in a series of mini-adventures. By 1666 only 16 of the 36 survivors were still alive, and 8 of those, including Hamel, escaped to Japan after 13 years in captivity. Once there, they were able to find other Dutchmen and secure passage back to Holland. The remaining 8 were allowed to leave in 1668, “through the intercession of the Emperor of Japan,” (89) although one of them who was married elected to remain. No doubt many Koreans chafe at the implication of Japanese intervention in Korean political matters in the 17th century.

Although Hamel’s account does contain some inaccuracies in his descriptions of Korean culture and society, it does come off as an honest and sincere recollection, written without any other agenda but to put it down for the record.

The journal and the description of Korea were written separately. The description covers; geography, fishing, climate, agriculture, the monarchy, the military, government, revenues, justice, religion, housing, travel, marriage, education, mourning, character, trade, the “surrounding world,” farming, mining, medicine, weights and measures, bookkeeping, royal processions, and visits from Chinese envoys.

Below are some additional points and quotes of interest. Although many of these descriptions of Korea and Koreans are rather negative, Hamel did note the charity of many Korean strangers, friends, and commanders throughout his journal as well, making such negative comments somewhat contradictory at times – please keep that context in mind:

• “The country is divided into 8 provinces, in which one finds 360 towns and furthermore a great number of forts and castles. . .” (52)
• “Theft and burglary are severely punished, but there still is much stealing. Thieves generally are beaten on their footsoles until slowly the die.” (58) This is a stark contrast to how the South Korean legal system hands out meager punishments, but is probably less severe than what is to be hand in North Korea.
• “As regards their religion. . . the ordinary people do pay their idols some superstitious rites, but they have more respect for the public authority than for their many gods. The higher ranks and nobility do not show any respect for idols. They seem to esteem themselves higher than the idols.” (59)
• “Preaching and catechism are unknown to them, neither do they instruct one another in their faith. . . they never debate about religion.” (60)
• “Many monks believe that long ago all people spoke the same language, but when people built a tower n order to climb into heaven, the whole world changed.” (61) An obvious reference to the Tower of Babel from the Old Testament of the Bible. One has to wonder how much Hamel’s background colored his understanding of that story.
• “Noblemen often go to a monastery to enjoy themselves with whores and other company, because the monasteries are very beautifully situated in the mountains amidst woods. . . they look more like brothels and taverns than temples. Ones should know that in the ordinary monasteries the monks are much inclined to drinking.” (61) I’m just going to leave that one alone.
• A demonstration of Korean hospitality. “Inns in which travelers can stay overnight are unknown Those traveling along the road, towards evening enter the inner court of any private house, if it is not a nobleman’s, where they unpack as much rice as they want to eat, which the host at once has cooked an served with side dishes to his guests. In many villages households take turns without murmuring.” (63)
• “This nation treats their women as no more than female slaves, whom they can renounce on account of a trifle. It the man does not want the children, the renounced woman must take them all with her. Little wonder this country is so densely populated.” (64) Again, leaving that alone.
• “The nobility and well-to-do people give their children a good education. . . They mostly sit day and night and read. It is admirable to see how these young boys know and explain the texts which form the basis of their learning.” (64) Some things never change.
• “Slave parents have little regard for their children, because they know that the owners will take their children away from them as soon as they are able to work.” (65) Something that seems to be forgotten by many today.
• “As concerns loyalty and disloyalty, as well as courage, this nation is much inclined to staling, lying and cheating. One should not trust them too much. . . On the other hand Koreans are good natured and very credulous. We could make them believe anything we wanted. They like strangers, especially the monks.” (67)
• “The Dutchman Jan Janse Weltevree told us that when the Tartar came over the ice and occupied the country more soldiers hanged themselves in the woods than were killed by the enemy. They do not consider committing suicide to be shameful, they pity such people, saying they did it out of necessity. . . They abhor blood. As soon as some fall in combat others flee.” (67) Accounts of Koreans fighting in the Korean War and Vietnam clearly contradict that characterization of the military.
• “Koreans think there are but twelve countries or kingdoms in the whole world. They say that once theses counties once were all subject to the Emperor of China and that they had to pay tribute to him. . . When we mentioned a number of countries they all laughed at us, saying these must be names of cities and villages.” (68-69) Elements of this remain; fan death anyone?

The only significant criticism of the book in my opinion is that it is difficult to follow the notes and their origins are not properly documented in a bibliography.

The book also contains a list of 143 Korean words compiled by Hamel, which is a window on 17th century Korean language and pronunciation.

More on Hamel’s journey can be found at Jan Boonstra’s Korea Page, and the site of Henny Savenije, including a map showing the route of the Sperwer.