Village Guardians within the East Gate of Buan
Nongakdae (Farm Music Band) at the Dangsanje Ritual of the East Gate of BuanThis photo shows the nongakdae (Farm Music Band) at the Dangsanje Ritual of the East Gate of Buan. The Village Guardians within the East Gate of Buan were designated as National Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 19 on May 20, 1970.
Villagers preparing the Dangsanje Ritual at the East Gate of BuanThis photo shows villagers who are preparing the Dangsanje Ritual at the East Gate of Buan. They are preparing for the juldarigi (Tug-of-war) with the straw rope before starting the ritual.
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LocationGuyeong 1-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean부안 동문안 당산
- Chinese扶安東門-堂山
- FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Folklore
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Folk Religious Site
- Current Location387-2, Guyeong 1-gil Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A religious structure where prayers are offered for the peace and prosperity of the village in Dongjung-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- The Village Guardians, a set of cultural heritages associated with folk religion, consists of a stone pole (jimdae, or dangsan) topped by a stone duck and a pair of stone guardian posts (grandpa guardianand grandma guardian).
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 the 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 in Buan-gun was originally located inside Cheongwonnu, which used to be the eastern entrance to Bupunghyeon. Following the recent construction of f stone guardian posts have been moved next to the Eutteum Oilbank (gas station) at the entrancea new road and the demolition of the old town wall, the stone pole and the pair o to Buan-eup.
- Forms
- The Village Guardians in Buan are composed of a stone jimdae and a pair of stone guardian posts. The jimdae is a rectangular, upward-tapering stone pole that measures 326 centimeters in height and 33 centimeters in width, and has a circumference of 37 centimeters. As its stone duck, which faced northwest, has disappeared, there is a groove where the duck used to be placed on the top. The pair of stone guardian posts, which stand facing each other, is located at the parking lot in front of the Buan and Gochang National Health Insurance Corp. The pair consists of “General Sangwonju” (Sangwonjujanggun) and “General Hawondang” (Hawondangjanggun): General Sangwonju, a male guardian post, is a hatted figure characterized by a bulbous nose, closed mouth, moustache, beard extending up to the chest, and large ears. It measures 188 centimeters in height and 50 centimeters in width, and has a circumference of 30 centimeters. General Hawondang, a female guardian post, is portrayed with an urna (a spiral or circular dot placed on the forehead of Buddhist images as an auspicious mark), large protruding eyes, and thick eyebrows. It measures 175 centimeters in height and 40 centimeters in width, and has a circumference of 30 centimeters.
- Ritual
- The main guardian is the stone pole. The Dangsanje Ritual of the village of Dongmunan used to be held every two years on Jeongwol daeboreum, i.e. the first full moon of a new year, to pray for the village’s prosperity and a good harvest. The ritual begins with a juldarigi (tug-of-war) tournament consisting of male and female teams. Local people believe that if the female team wins, the area will enjoy a good harvest, so the male team deliberately concedes defeat. The next event consists in “dressing the Dangsan” by winding the dragon rope around the jimdae. After that, the villagers assemble in front of the jimdae to perform the Dangsanje ritual, which is officiated over by an old man selected for his integrity. Two to three days before the ritual, people clean the area around the Dangsan, hang a straw rope (to ward off evil spirits), and sprinkle red clay on the ground. They then prepare ritual food offerings such as the head of a pig, steamed rice cakes, and wild vegetable dishes. A written prayer is burned during the ritual.
The stone guardian posts situated near the Dangsan play the role of an assistant guardian deity that grants prosperity to the village and wards off evil spirits and diseases. No special ritual is held at the guardian posts as they used to serve as gatekeepers outside the town wall.
- Current Status
- The stone duck placed on top of the jimdae, which is the main guardian was stolen in 2002 but was eventually recovered in 2019. As the ritual event has not been held properly since then, the stone stuck has been kept in the storage of the Buan Celadon Museum. The Dongmunan Dangsan’s stone pole and stone guardian posts are located opposite the gas station, because in general, the stone pole and guardian posts originally didn’t stand together. However, once the Dongmunan Dangsan has been fully restored, both the stone pole and guardian posts should be erected at their original location.
- Historical Significance
- The Village Guardians within the East Gate of Buan were built at the east gate of Bupunghyeon along with those near the west and south gates. According to the record written on the Village Guardians within the West Gate of Buan, they were all built around the same time in 1689. As both the stone pole and stone guardian posts have been well preserved and are valuable relics associated with the village’s folk beliefs, they were named “Village Guardians within the East Gate of Buan” and designated as National Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 19 on May 20, 1970.