Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan
General Sangwonju (stone guardian post) of Village Guardians within the West Gate of BuanThis is the stone guardian post “General Sangwonju (Grandpa Dangsan)” of Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan in Soeoe-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun. It measures 207 centimeters high and 38 centimeters wide with circumference of 30 centimeters.
General Hawondang (stone guardian post) of Village Guardians within the West Gate of BuanThis is the stone guardian post “General Hawondang (Grandma Dangsan)” of Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan in Soeoe-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun. It measures 190 centimeters high and 55 centimeters wide with circumference of 38 centimeters.
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Location203, Gyodong 2-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean부안 서문안 당산
- Chinese扶安西門-堂山
- FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Folklore
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Folk Religious Site
- Current Location203, Gyodong 2-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A religious structure where prayers are offered for the peace and prosperity of the village in Seooe-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- The Village Guardians, a set of cultural heritages associated with folk religion, consists of a pair of stone poles (jimdae, or dangsan) topped by a stone duck and a pair of stone guardian posts.
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 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 a state examination.
A guardian post or jangseung is a folk religious structure that is usually made of wood or stone and erected at the entrance to a village or temple. The upper part of the post features a painted or carved human face or 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 .
- Location
- The Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan were originally located inside Gaepungnu, formerly the west gate of the town of Bupunghyeon. However, a new road was built there and a pair of stone jimdae (Grandpa and Grandma Guardians) and a pair of stone guardian posts were placed opposite the Buan Won Buddhist Temple.
- Forms
- The Seomunan Dangsan consists of two stone poles and two stone guardian posts standing next to each other. The jimdae on the left-hand side is a rectangular stone pole erected on a natural rock, with a stone duck placed at the top, facing west. Its rock base has nine potholes. It measures 380 centimeters in height and 22 centimeters in width, has a circumference of 20 centimeters, and bears the inscription “Ganghui yishippalnyeon gisa yiwol” (康熙 二十八年 己巳 二月), indicating that it was erected in 1689 (the 15th year of the reign of King Sukjong), as well as the names of the stonemason and the donor. Situated right next to it is the other, half-broken stone pole, which stands on a natural stone base and is topped with a carved duck, facing upward.
This pair of stone guardian posts consists of General Sangwonju (Sangwonjujanggun) and General Hawondang (Hawondangjanggun). General Sangwonju, a grandpa guardian post, is represented as a hatted, bearded figure with protruding eyes, and an urna (a spiral or circular dot placed on the forehead of Buddhist images as an auspicious mark). It measures 207 centimeters in height and 38 centimeters in width, and has a circumference of 30 centimeters. Meanwhile, General Hawondang, a grandma guardian post, is characterized by a gentle face and a forehead marked with an urna. It measures 190 centimeters in height and 55 centimeters in width, and has a circumference of 38 centimeters.
- Ritual
- The Dangsanje Ritual of the village of Seomunan was held at about ten o’clock at night on Jeongwol choharu, which means the Lunar New Year’s Day. The ritual was held in the Confucian style immediately after the juldarigi (tug-of-war) and the “dressing of the Dangsan.” The ritual was last held in 1978, with no further ritual organized since then. The written ritual prayer reads as follows: “(Date) Hallowed guardian of the village, please look after our health, bring us a good harvest……..”
- Current Status
- The village’s name “Seomunan” originates from the fact that the village was located ‘inside’ (an) the ‘west gate’ (seomun). The term Seomunan Dangsan refers to the stone poles and stone guardian posts, which were moved some way apart from each when a new road was built after the demolition of the town wall. However, when the Seomunan Dangsan are eventually restored, both the stone pole and the guardian posts should be reinstalled together in their original location.
- Historical Significance
- The Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan were built near the west gate of Bupunghyeon along with those erected near the east and south gates. According to the record written on the Seomunan Dangsan, they were all built around the same time in 1689. As both the stone pole and the stone guardian posts are valuable folk relics which illustrate the change in the raw material of Dangsan from wood to stone, they were named the “Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan” and designated as National Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 189 on May 20, 1970.