Archaeological Site in Jukmak-dong, Buan
Reproduction model of Baekje’s ancestral ritual site in Jukmak-dong, BuanTaken in 1997 at the National Folk Museum of Korea, this photo shows a reproduction of the ancestral ritual site located on a coastal cliff in Jukmak-dong, Gyeokpo-ri.
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Location54, Jeokbyeokgang-gil Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean부안 죽막동 유적
- Chinese扶安竹幕洞遺蹟
- Nickname죽막동 제사 유적
- FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Folklore
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Folk Religious Site
- Current Location54, Jeokbyeokgang-gil Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A sacrificial rite-related historic site located at the coastal cliff in Jukmak-dong, Gyekpo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- The historic site in Jukmak-dong, Buan is located at the olden-day sea route for exchanging and trading with neighboring countries like China and Japan in East Asia. The tradition of holding a sacrificial rite, praying for safety in voyage and big catch of fish, is observed even today. People of this country are said to have held diverse beliefs, with sacrificial rites of diverse types held. People of Buyeo engaged in yeonggo (a festival wherein people ate, sang, and danced while holding a sacrificial rite for heaven for a few days) in January. People of Goguryeo held a festival called Dongmaeng while holding a sacrificial rite for the female god “susin” said to be the mother of Jumong, its founder, in October. People of Ye engaged in Mucheon (a festival wherein they sang, drank, and danced for several days/nights) in October like in Goguryeo. People of Mahan held a festival for several days in May and October, eating, dancing, and holding a sacrificial rite for the gods. The information on three nations’ sacrificial rites held at the national level is left as historical records. The information on the historic site in Jukmak-dong, Buan is not included in the historical records, but the site was shared as a location for sacrificial rite by those who engaged in international exchanges through sea routes in East Asia.
- Location
- The historic site is located at the coastal cliff in Jukmak-dong, Gyekpo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Standing at the top of the coastal cliff on the western end of the Byeonsan Peninsula are a sea cave named Danggul or Yonggul and a shrine named Suseongdang. The historic site in question stands behind the shrine.
Many broken pieces of earthenware/metal relics were found on the historic site measuring about 20 × 30 m.
- Forms
- The historic site in Jukmak-dong, Buan covers the area (about 20×30 m) at the tip of coastal cliff, and many broken pieces of earthenware/metal relics were mainly found from the area of 100㎡. It is assumed that they held sacrificial rites on the open ground, as there have been no signs of building sites or structures found.
- Ritual
- The historic site in Jukmak-dong, Buan is known for its open-air ritual using pottery. It is presumed that they offered a sacrifice to the sea gods on the open ground at the top of the coastal cliff, using earthenware items, due to the following factors: location on the coastal cliff; Chinese pottery objects and stone imitations having been unearthed, an indication of trade with foreign countries; location being a strategic point in the sea route and an advantageous fishery point, the likelihood of praying for safety in voyage. The sacrificial rites held at the historic site are thought to have gone through four stages of change: Stage 1 – the rites held by locally influential people to pray for safety in voyage as well as a big catch of fish, using earthenware objects like flat-bottomed jars, in the 3rd/4th Centuries; Stage 2 – the rites held in the 5th/6th Centuries with a wide range of factions including those of Baekje playing the lead role, leaving relics of international nature such as various jars, dish stands, horse-shaped figurines, stone imitations, weapons, etc.; Stage 3 – locally influential people holding sacrificial rites in an open ground in the 8th–10th Centuries, as they had done in Stage 1; Stage 4 – the rites held during the Goryeo-Joseon Periods, using celadon/white celadon objects and horse-shaped figurines.
- Current Status
- The sacrificial rites held at this historic site are presumed to have flourished the most in the 5th/6th Centuries, judging from the relics unearthed. The historic site is thought to have been used as grounds for holding sacrificial rites in the 3rd–7th Centuries, and to a lesser extent until the Joseon Period. Relics unearthed include earthenware, metalware, and stoneware imitations. Earthenware includes a large number of objects such as short/long-necked jars, dish stands, mounted dishes, etc., mostly dating back to the 5th/6th Centuries. Metalware includes horse harness, mirrors, and weapons, mostly dating back to the 5th/6th Centuries. Earthenware/Stone imitations include 200-plus items such as knives, mirrors, discs with hole, and cicada/horse-shaped objects. Especially, stone imitations are the same as or quite similar to those unearthed from the sacrificial rite-related historic site in Okinoshima, Japan. Thus, they are thought to be offerings to deities. Chinese-made pottery objects were also found.
- Historical Significance
- The historic site in Jukmak-dong, Buan is the country’s first known site for sacrificial rite to sea gods held in an open ground to pray for a big catch of fish as well as safety in voyage for those trading with neighboring countries like Baekje, Gaya, China, and Japan. It displays historic significance as one showing changes in sacrificial rites held for sea gods between the pre-Baekje periods and the Joseon Period. The historic site is said to have significant value from a historic/cultural content-related perspective in connection with the legend related to Goddess Gaeyang believed to control the sea off Byeonsan Peninsula and Dragon King Feast held every January to pray for a big catch of fish and people’s safety.