Ritual House at Geonwolleung Royal Tomb, Guri

Geonwolleung is the tomb of Emperor Taejo Ko, founder of Joseon, and was the first tomb built at the Donggureung Royal Tombs in Guri. Geonwolleung basically follows the style of Hyeolleung, the tomb of King Gongmin of Goryeo, but shows certain changes in detail in the form and arrangement of its stone furnishings, such as the addition of a curved enclosure wall (gokjang) around the burial mound, a feature not found at Goryeo royal tombs. The jeongjagak is the building in which memorial rites are performed. It is a T-shaped building combining a main hall of three bays across the front and two bays deep with a two-bay antechamber (baeuicheong), and was built in 1408, the eighth year of King Taejong, the year King Taejo passed away. Records show that it was repaired throughout the Joseon period, and in particular, when the building had fallen into serious disrepair in 1764 (the fortieth year of King Yeongjo), a repair office was set up to restore it. Overall it follows the typical form of a Joseon-period jeongjagak, and the ikgong (wing-bracket) style at the top of the columns shows eighteenth-century technique, reflecting well the characteristics of its 1764 repair. The Gukjo oryeseorye (Illustrated Manual of the Five Rites of State), in its section on royal tombs under the auspicious rites, "Illustrations of Altars and Shrines," records of the chimjeon (jeongjagak): "The chimjeon is located south of the tomb chamber, facing south with its back to the north. It consists of three bays in total, with staircases to the east and west, and the spirit seat faces south from the north." Here, the "three bays" refers only to the main hall where the spirit seat is set out and the rites performed; combined with the two-bay antechamber, this makes five bays in total. Compared with this record, the jeongjagak of Geonwolleung retains the basic layout of its original construction; beyond its symbolic significance as the ritual hall of Geonwolleung, tomb of Emperor Taejo Ko, the first ruler of Joseon, it is also a building of great historical, artistic and academic value as the standard for the jeongjagak within the Joseon royal tomb system.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Guri, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물