Dangsanje Ritual of Dolmosan in Naeyo-ri [2006]This photo shows the Dangsanje Ritual of Dolmosan held in 2006 in the village of Seokje, Naeyo-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun. It is the image of the event of “dressing the Dangsan” wherein people wind the stone pole with dragon rope.
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LocationGudeok-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean돌모산 당산
- Chinese-堂山
- FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Folklore
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Folk Religious Site
- Current Location723-1, Naeryo-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A religious structure where prayers are offered for the peace and prosperity of the village of Seokje in Naeyo-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- The Dolmosan Village Guardians, a cultural heritage associated with folk religion, consists of a stone pole (jimdae) topped by a stone duck.
Generally speaking, a jimdae is a type of sotdae, i.e. a tall wooden pole or stone pillar that serves as a village guardian, with a carved bird or two placed on its top. Sotdae are usually erected at the entrance to a village or in a sacred spot to ward off evil and protect the village. Jimdae are also known as as jindae, geoogi, susalmagidae, kkamagwi, cheoltong, sotdae, soldae, byeolsindae, yeongdongdae, hwajutdae, georitdae, oritdae, and byeotgaritdae. As an object of folk belief associated with geomantic theory, a jimdae was usually erected to prevent misfortune in a village (i.e. to protect a village, prevent fire, bring a good harvest, and promote prosperity and fertility), to improve a village’s weak topography (the shape of a sailing ship), or to celebrate a villager’s success in the state examination.
- Location
- The Dolmosan Village Guardians (jimdae) is located in a small park to the left of the village’s southern entrance in Naeyo-ri, Buan-gun. ‘Dolmosan’ refers to a village which has a stone dyke. The village was originally called “Dolmotan” but this name was gradually softened to “Dolmosan.” The local topography features the “shape of a ship” in which the jimdae symbolizes the mast and hence the ship’s safe passage. That is the reason why jimdae was built in the current place.
According to a local tale, a Buddhist monk once came to the village to beg but he was bullied and harassed by the villagers. As he wanted to seek his revenge on the village, he told the villagers that their village was perfect except for the lack of water, and recommended that they dig a well in a certain place to find water. So the villagers duly dug a well, whereupon red-colored water gushed from it for three days. After that, the village fell into decline and no one ever dug another well. According to geomantic theory, if a village’s topography features the shape of a ship, no one must ever dig a well in the village.
- Forms
- The jimdae of Dolmosan Village Guardians is an unadorned rectangular stone pole that tapers upwards, although its lower part was broken and its height reduced by a typhoon in 1965. On the top of the pole sits a stone duck, facing towards the front of the village, notable for its well-carved head and wings. The stone pole measures 2.2 meters in height and has a circumference of 0.85 to 0.98 meters, while the stone duck is about 40 cm long.
- Ritual
- The Dolmosan Village Guardians Ritual in Naeyo-ri is held in the afternoon of jeongwol daeboreum, which means the first full moon of a new year. The ritual begins with a juldarigi (tug-of-war) tournament consisting of male and female teams, with some men under the age of 20 joining the female team. Local people believe that if the female team wins, the area will enjoy a good harvest. The second event of the ritual involves a tour of the village in which the villagers carry a “dragon rope,” while the third event consists in “dressing the Dangsan” by winding the dragon rope around the jimdae. After that, the villagers perform the Dangsanje ritual in front of the jimdae. An old man known for his integrity is selected as the head officiant of the ritual by drawing lots, which are submitted by each household, three to four days before the ritual. The ritual food is prepared at the house of the village head, and the ritual is held in the Confucian style. The written ritual prayer is as follows: “Hallowed guardian of the village, please look after our health, bring us a good harvest……..”
- Current Status
- Built according to geomantic principles, the Dolmosan Village Guardians is a part of the stone jimdae culture that has been preserved in Buan, and the Dangsanje Ritual is still held there to this day.
- Historical Significance
- Buan County is one of the major regions to have maintained the culture of stone jimdae. Notable for its particularly folkloric aspect, the Dolmosan Village Guardians was designated as Jeollabuk-do Folklore Heritage No. 19 on August 16, 1985.