Flagpole Supports at Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan

Flagpole supports were erected at the entrance to a temple. On occasions of ceremonies or events a temple would hang a banner called a dang from a tall pole known as a danggan; the two stone pillars that supported the danggan on either side are called danggan-jiju, or flagpole supports. Two such supports stand about 90 metres apart to the south of the Mireuksa Temple site; being identical in size, style and workmanship, they are considered to have been erected at the same time. The platform base that once supported the pillars has been completely destroyed and lies mostly buried underground, with only a small part exposed to suggest its original form. The pillars themselves survive in their original state, with no particular decoration on the faces that look towards each other. On the outer faces a band runs along the edge, with a single further band carved down the centre. Three holes are bored into the inner face of each pillar to hold the danggan steady; only the topmost hole is rectangular, the rest being round. These two pillars, generally sparing in decoration and neat in form, are thought to have been made sometime after the middle of the Unified Silla period. Flagpole supports of almost identical form survive elsewhere, such as the Flagpole Supports at Suksusa Temple Site, Yeongju (Treasure) and the Flagpole Supports at Buseoksa Temple, Yeongju (Treasure).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Iksan, Jeonbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물