Iron Flagpole at Yongdusa Temple Site, Cheongju

When a temple held a ceremony a banner was hung at its entrance; the pole that carried it is the flagpole, and the pair of stone pillars that hold it upright are its supports. Nammun-ro in Cheongju, where this flagpole stands, was once the site of Yongdusa, founded in 962 and left in ruins by the wars and revolts of the late Goryeo period. The ground it stood on is now the busiest street in the city. The base stone and the two pillars that brace the pole survive entire, so the arrangement can still be read. A raised line is cut down the centre of each pillar's outer face, which relieves an otherwise plain surface. Between them twenty cylindrical iron drums are stacked, each interlocking with the one below, and a bar at the top of the stone pillars clamps the pole fast. The third drum carries an inscription giving the reason for raising the flagpole and an account of the work; originally there were thirty drums. It was put up in 962, at the same time as the temple was founded, and knowing the date exactly is part of its value. Flagpoles themselves rarely survive: iron ones stand at only three places in Korea, here and at Gapsa in Gongju and Chiljangsa in Anseong. There is a story. Cheongju had long suffered from floods, until a diviner said that if a great mast were raised the district would take the shape of a ship and escape them. A flagpole was raised to serve as that mast, and the floods stopped. From then on, it is said, Cheongju was called Juseong — the ship fortress.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheongju, Chungbuk

Designation

National Treasure · 국보