Things to do in Seoul, Part 3: The Chicken Art Museum (One of Five Small Museums)

Last post I mentioned that, to my knowledge, the only place you can see multiple full-size canvas depictions of kim chi is in the Kim Chi Museum.

Now I would like to introduce an entire floor of chickens.

Live chickens? No, silly. Chicken art.

You see, chickens are birds of honor. Chicken sculptures are affixed to coffins in funerary processions and are thought to help bring the soul to the afterlife, like crows in other mythologies.

Roosters (the Korean language does not distinguish between male and female) furthermore are seen as very noble, feeding and defending their hen and young.

And now I reiterate: An entire floor of chicken art, complete with (excellent) English-speaking personal guide awaits you. But where?

Where, you ask, can one find this beautiful display? An elusive corner of the imposingly large (but worthwhile as I will explain) National Museum? An art district?

No. (But the art district guess was close.)

In—wait for it—The Chicken Art Museum.

The Chicken Art Museum is one of five small private museums near Bukchon (hanok village near Insa-dong) which sell “one pass tickets.” The tickets are good for quite some time (weeks or was it a month?) and are quite cheap (10 or maybe 15 thousand won—under 15 bucks).

Besides the Chicken Art, there is the Embroidery Museum (amazing), the Folk Art Museum, and a few more. The Buddhist Art museum (which was what initially drew me in) has an impressive two-floor (admittedly small floors) collection of mostly Joesong Era paintings and sculptures, and a historical meditation wheel that you can actually crank (read: you are allowed to touch and operate a piece of history). In one day at a moderate pace you can see all five museums.

But why not spend a whole day with the foul? It seems only fair.

[Picture of Chicken Art Museum exterior forthcoming when I can figure out how to get it off my phone.]