The Order of the Eight Trigrams

• Time Period: Pre-WW1
• Institution: 16 April 1901
• Country: Korean Empire (Korea)

The Order of the Eight Trigrams (P’alwaejang) was instituted on 17^th April 1901 by Emperor Kwangmu, the last King of Joseon and the first Emperor of Korea.

The Order was awarded in eight classes:

• Grand Cordon
• Second Class
• Third Class
• Fourth Class
• Fifth Class
• Sixth Class
• Seventh Class
• Eighth Class

The last two are equivalent to a gold and silver medal of a European Order.

The Order of the Eight Trigrams Design

The symbolism of the Order insignia is the Chinese Ba Gua, based on Taoist principles. These Bagua or Pakua symbols are used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts. Each consists of three lines, each line either “broken” or “unbroken”, respectively representing yin or yang, 0 or 1 forming binary numbers 000-111 (0 to 7).

The 1st Class medal is enameled on both sides. The other classes have a plain reverse with an inscription in kanji.