Ugeumsanseong Fortress
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LocationSan 65-1, Byeongmokgol-gil Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean우금산성
- Chinese禹金山城
- Nickname주류산성|위금암 산성|우진고성|울금바위 산성
- FieldHistory / Premodern
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Historic Site (General)
- Current LocationSan 65-1, Byeongmokgol-gil Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A mountain fortress dating back to the Goryeo and Joseon Period in Ugeumsan Mountain, Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- Ugeumsanseong Fortress is a stone fortress including valleys built along the ridge of Ugeumsan Mountain (329 m high), linking the mountain range in the east with that in the west with Ulgeumbawi Rock at the center. It is presumed to have been the base for restoration of the Baekje Dynasty, but what is left there dates back to the Goryeo and Joseon Period. The fortress was designated as Jeollabuk-do Monument No. 20 in September 24, 1974.
- Background of Construction
- There are no clear-cut literature materials left about this fortress, but this is said to be the site where Boksin, a member of the Royal Family of the Baekje Dynasty, finally lost to the Silla-Tang allied forces while leading the Baekje Restoration Movement.
- Location
- Ugeumsanseong Fortress is located close to Bongeun Village, Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun. If you go about 3 km along Highway 23 in the direction of Boan-myeon from the Sangseo-Myeon Office, Buan-gun, you will find the sign for the site of Gaeamsa Temple. Going about 1.2 km in the direction of the site of Gaeamsa Temple, you will find the sign for Buan Ugeumsanseong Fortress on the right. Farther up about 680 m, the site of South Gate of the fortress and the restored castle wall come into view. South Gate is assumed to have been the main entrance to the fortress. Inside the gate is a small, flat ground, together with private houses and hermitage. There is another access to Ugeumsanseong Fortress. Going up about 600 m from behind the site of Gaeamsa Temple, you will find Ulgeumbawi Rock, which lies in the east of the fortress. If you walk along the ridge northward, you will find yourself at the peak of Ugeumsan Mountain. If you continue to walk along the ridge eastward and then southward, you will reach the site of East Gate. Continue to walk along the ridge southward and then westward, and you will reach the site of South Gate.
- Forms
- The fortress comes to 3,960 m long. Overall, the entire fortress is shaped like a trapezoid whose southern wall is wide and northern wall is narrow. It is a stone fortress including valleys in which the fortress encompasses many mountain peaks and valleys (sagojunggwan). The fortress was built with the hyeopchuk method in which the inner and outer sides of the wall were built, first using natural stones, and then the space was filled with rubble stones and soil, while for the section on a steep slope, its exterior wall was only built with the naetak method using stones, whose space was filled with soil. In 2014, those from the Jeonju Cultural Heritage Research Center conducted a survey on the section of the wall near the site of South Gate and found that flat stones were put on the bottom first and then large-sized stones were heaped by means of coursed masonry as they did in the construction of town castles in the early Joseon Period, with the walls were rebuilt/repaired later.
There are two command posts in the fortress, i.e., one at the top of Ugeumsan Mountain in the north and the other one near the water drainage hole in the south. A narrow, flat ground is made around these south and north command posts. The sites of South Gate, East Gate, and West Gate were identified near the water drainage hole in the south, in the central section of the eastern side of the wall, and in the north of Ulgeumbawi Rock, respectively. According to a survey of the sites of East Gate and South Gate, the former was located on the slope close to the main ridge linked to the summit. It was also found that the East Gate site was an open channel style gate measuring 3 kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) by 2 kan. Judging from what is left in the side wall in the north, the section of the wall was repaired/remodeled. The first gate measures 3.9 m (W) by 3.5 m (L). The second gate measures 3.3 m (W) by 7.1 m (L). The supposed site of South Gate was at the lowest part of the fortress, where the main streams in the mountain converged. Judging from the remaining foundation, the gate was an open channel style gate measuring 2 kan at the sides (780 cm in length and 480 cm in width).
- Current Status
- Ugeumsanseong Fortress is one of the locations that is thought to be Juryuseong Fortress, where Boksin, a member of the royal family of the Baekje Kingdom, crowned Prince Buyeopung, who had been exiled in Japan, as king and led the last battle of resistance together with drifting people of Baekje for restoration of Baekje. Unearthed relics from the investigation of the East Gate site include roof tiles stamped with decorative fish bone/lattice patterns, roof tiles engraved with the name Buryeong, celadon/ grayish-blue-powdered celadon pieces, roof tiles displaying decorative lineal patterns, white porcelain bottom part pieces, etc. while relics from the South Gate site include plain roof tiles with linear design, and white porcelain bottom part pieces. The area close to the site of Southern Gate, which is the lowest part of the fortress, displays small flat grounds along the valley.
The flat grounds are said to have been the sites of Myoamsa Temple, Chilseongam Hermitage, and Jeonggwanam Hermitage. Those from the Jeonju University Museum conducted an excavation survey of the site of Myoamsa Temple close to the site of South Gate in 1997. They collected pieces of pottery with three legs dating back to the Baekje Period and concave roof-end tiles with scroll design dating back to the Unified Silla Period. Thus, they assumed that there had been a building associated with these relics inside the fortress. A total of six sites of buildings were identified. The following roof tiles were unearthed: those engraved with Chinese characters “妙庵 (pronounced “Myoam”)” dating back to the Goryeo-Joseon Period; those engraved with the name Buryeong; and those engraved with the period 1464 (10th year of King Sejo’s reign) and 1612 (4th year of King Gwanghae’s reign). The roof tiles engraved with Chinese characters “妙庵 (pronounced ‘Myoam’)” make researchers assume that there used to be a temple with that name in the early Goryeo Period. An excavation survey of an estimated building area B carried out in 2019 and 2020 identified a layer of soil including relics and one site of a roof tile kiln. There is a cave room called Wonhyobang to the west of Ulgeumbawi Rock outside the fortress. There are two other cave rooms including a weaving cave and a large cave to its north.
- Historical Significance
- Two surface surveys and eight excavation surveys have been conducted on the fortress. No layers of culture or relics have been found as those associated with Baekgang Battle, which was Baekje’s final battle of resistance. However, relics and historic sites dating back to the Goryeo and Joseon Period have been found. Thus, researchers do not rule out the possibility that there have been historic sites dating back to the period preceding the Goryeo Period. Things related to the Baekgang Battle are expected to be found through more comprehensive and systematic surveys.