Tomb of King Guhyeong, Sancheong (Presumed)

This stone tomb is traditionally said to be the tomb of King Guhyeong, the tenth and last king of Gaya. King Guhyeong, also known as Guhae or King Yang, was the great-grandfather of Kim Yu-sin. He became king of Gaya in 521 and reigned for eleven years until 532, when he ceded his territory to King Beopheung of Silla. Two theories have long surrounded this structure: that it is a stone pagoda, or that it is a royal tomb. The case for a pagoda rests on similar structures found in the Andong and Uiseong regions. The case for a royal tomb rests on a passage in the Dongguk yeoji seungnam, in the section on the mountains and streams of Saneum-hyeon, which records that in the mountains forty li from the county seat there is a stone structure called Guryong, built up in tiers on all four sides, popularly said to be a royal tomb. The earliest record to attach a royal name to the tomb appears in the Wangsan Simneunggi by the Joseon-period writer Hong Ui-yeong, who notes that because the temple Wangsansa stands to its west, the temple's own record, the Wangsansangi, identifies it as the tomb of King Guhyeong. Unlike an ordinary tomb, it takes the form of a stepped stone platform built into the middle of a sloping hillside, with a total height of 7.15 m. Viewed from the front it rises in seven tiers, but the rear simply follows the natural slope, so it differs from a pyramid-style stepped mound built on flat ground. The summit is oval in shape. At the centre stands a stele inscribed 'Tomb of King Yang of Garakguk', with stone furnishings in front that are, however, recent additions. In 1793, the 17th year of King Jeongjo of Joseon, the shrine Deogyangjeon was built to preserve a portrait of King Guhyeong and his queen, their clothing, a bow, and other items discovered in a wooden chest handed down at Wangsansa Temple, and memorial rites have been held there every spring and autumn down to the present. The site's official name was changed from Jeon Guhyeongwangneung to Tomb of King Guhyeong, Sancheong (Presumed), as announced on 28 July 2011.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Sancheong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적