Stele of King Taejo at Geonwolleung Royal Tomb, Guri

The Stele of King Taejo at Geonwolleung Royal Tomb, Guri is a stone stele inscribed with the life story of King Taejo (Yi Seong-gye, 1335–1408, r. 1392–1398), founder of Joseon, commemorating the process of founding the dynasty as well as his life and achievements. Erected in 1409, the ninth year of King Taejong, it has its stele body, tortoise-shaped base (gwibu) and dragon-carved capstone (isu) well preserved, making it an important example for the study of early Joseon steles. The inscription was composed by Gwon Geun (1352–1409), the reverse-side text (eumgi) was written by Byeon Gye-ryang (1369–1430), the seal-script heading (jeonaek) was written by Jeong Gu (1350–1418), and the calligraphy was executed by Seong Seok-rin (1338–1423). The stele at Geonwolleung Royal Tomb is regarded as marking a new form that, after the founding of Joseon, departed from the sculptural conventions of Goryeo-period stone steles and adopted the stele tradition of Ming China. Although the base section has been newly remade, the stele stands as a benchmark work among Joseon-period stone steles, and the writing and content inscribed on its body form an extremely valuable cultural heritage that can be used as research material for the history of calligraphy as well as history and cultural history more broadly.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Guri, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물