Stone Guardian Post of Wolcheon-riThe Stone Guardian Post standing in Wolcheon-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun. The pair of stone totem poles is known to be related to the Dangun myth. The Stone Guardian Post were designated as Jeollabukdo Folk Cultural Heritage No. 30 on June 20, 1995.
Stone Guardian Post of Wolcheon-ri and Hwanung One of the two stone guardian posts standing in Wolcheon-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun is inscribed with “Hwanwoong
Stone Guardian Post of Wolcheon-ri and WanggeomOne of the twostone guardian posts standing in Wolcheon-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun is named ‘Wanggeomsang’ for being inscribed with ‘Wanggeom.’
CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
Korean월천리 석장승
Chinese月川里石-
FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Folklore
Contents TypeHistoric Site / Folk Religious Site
Current Location872, Seondol-ro Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
Definition
A pair of stone guardian posts located in Wolcheon-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
Summary
This pair of stone guardian posts located in the grounds of a private house in the village of Wolcheon-ri is a folk religious structure symbolizing Hwanung, the father of Dangun, and Dangun, the legendary founder of Gojoseon, respectively. A guardian post (jangseung), usually made of wood or stone, is erected at the entrance to a village or temple. The upper part of the post features a painted or carved human face or a devil mask, while its lower part bears an inscription, such as “Great General of All Beings Under Heaven” (Cheonha-daejanggun), “Female General of the Underworld” (Jiha-yeojanggun ), “General Sangwonju” (Sangwonjujanggun), or “General Hawondang” (Hawondangjanggun), or village mileage. The stone guardian posts in Wolcheon-ri are particularly rare artifacts that depict Dangun and his father Hwanung.
Location
The pair of stone guardian posts is located in the grounds of the house of a private individual named Heo Taek (86, Wolcheon-ri, Boan-myeon). It is said that the two posts were originally located beside a brook in the village of Geobukme or Gusan, which is about 3 km northwest of Wolcheon-ri (at the western foot of Baemesan Hill), and were moved to their current position by Heo Taek’s grandfather Heo Bang-han in 1920.
Forms
These two stone guardian posts, also known as Dangun Jangseung (stone guardian post) and Janggunseok (Stone General), are erected in the garden of Heo Taek’s house. The stone guardian post on the right bears the inscriptions “Hwangung” at the front and “Guryongyeon” (Waterfall) at the rear, and measures 172 cm in height (head: 56 cm; circumference at the bottom: 140cm). The left guardian post bears the inscriptions “Wanggeom” (meaning Dangun) at the front and “Jangbaeksan” (mountain) at the rear, and measures 182 cm in height (head: 55 cm; circumference at the bottom: 158cm). The stone guardian posts have similar features, such as the ears, beard, and official’s hat
Ritual
An altar is situated in front of the guardian posts, but no special ritual is held there.
Current State
According to a local legend, a man named Heo Bang-han once dreamt about two old people dressed in white clothes, who lamented: “We are already very sad for being laid down in a ditch in Geobukme, but now you are treading on our stomachs all the time, the pain is killing us”. The next morning Heo went to look in the ditch, where he found a pair of stone guardian posts serving as a stone footbridge. He took them back to his house in order to preserve them.
Historical Significance
Due to the inscriptions relating to Hwanung and Dangun, the pair of stone guardian posts in Wolcheon-ri is regarded as an important artifact associated with folk belief in Dangun, and was designated as Jeollabuk-do Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 30 on June 20, 1995.