Flagpole Supports at Jungchosa Temple Site, Anyang

When a temple held a ceremony, a banner called a dang was hung at the temple entrance; the pole used to hoist this banner is called a dangan, and the two pillars that support the pole on either side are called dangan supports. These flagpole supports stand facing each other on the east and west sides, 85 cm apart, in what is thought to be their original arrangement. The identification of this site as that of Jungchosa Temple is based on an inscription carved on the outer face of the west support. The base of the supports no longer survives; instead, three flat stones are laid as flooring, one between the two supports and one outside each of them, though even this arrangement is unlikely to reflect the original form. The socket for setting the flagpole was made by placing a stone between the two supports and boring a round hole 34 cm in diameter at its centre. The two supports have no decorative ornamentation, and traces remain of the rounded finishing of their upper ends, indicating their considerable age. Holes for fixing the flagpole in place were bored through each support at three points — top, middle and bottom. The upper part of the east support is broken; this is said to be the result of local stonemasons removing pieces of the stone for reuse after Korea's liberation on 15 August 1945. Although no fine carving was applied to any part, the work displays a neat, restrained beauty. The inscription carved on the outer face of the west support consists of six lines and 123 characters, written in standard clerical script. According to this inscription, the stone was selected on the sixth day of the eighth month in 826, the first year of King Heungdeok of Silla, and construction was completed on the thirtieth day of the second month of 827. Inscribing characters on dangan supports is a rare practice, and this is the only example in Korea of a dangan support whose date of construction can be clearly identified.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Anyang, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물