Jungyeongmyo and Yeonggyeongmyo Royal Tombs, Samcheok

Jungyeongmyo is the tomb of General Yi Yang-mu, the father of King Mokjo and a fifth-generation ancestor of King Taejo of Joseon. Yi Yang-mu originally lived in Jeonju, Jeolla-do, but moved to this area together with his son, King Mokjo, and died here in 1231, the 18th year of King Gojong of Goryeo. Later, when King Mokjo moved to Hamgyeong-do, this place was forgotten for several hundred years. After the founding of Joseon, King Taejo and the kings who followed him made great efforts to locate the tombs of their ancestors. Because this was believed to be the tomb of a fifth-generation ancestor, Samcheok-gun was elevated to Samcheok-bu, and from early Joseon the site was called a royal tomb (neung), although its authenticity was never firmly established. It was only in 1899, the third year of the Gwangmu era of the Korean Empire, that the tomb was extensively repaired and officially chubong, or posthumously conferred with royal status. According to tradition, the site is regarded as an auspicious location in pungsu-jiri, Korean geomancy. It is said that because King Mokjo, following the instructions of a Buddhist monk, buried Yi Yang-mu here, King Taejo was later born and was able to found the Joseon dynasty. Together with the tomb of his wife, Yeonggyeongmyo, Jungyeongmyo is the only royal tomb of the ancestors of the Joseon royal house located in South Korea, and it holds important historical and academic value. Yeonggyeongmyo is the tomb of Lady Yi of Samcheok, the mother of King Mokjo and a fifth-generation ancestor of King Taejo of Joseon. Lady Yi originally lived in Jeonju, Jeolla-do, but moved to this area together with her son, King Mokjo, and died here. Later, when King Mokjo moved to Hamgyeong-do, this place was forgotten for several hundred years. After the founding of Joseon, King Taejo and the kings who followed him made great efforts to locate the tombs of their ancestors. Because this was believed to be the tomb of a fifth-generation ancestor, Samcheok-gun was elevated to Samcheok-bu, and from early Joseon the site was called a royal tomb, although its authenticity was never firmly established. It was only in 1899, the third year of the Gwangmu era of the Korean Empire, that the tomb was extensively repaired and officially given royal status. Yeonggyeongmyo consists of a tall burial mound, a hongsalmun (a red-painted spiked gate marking a sacred site) and a stele pavilion. It was designated a historic site together with a jaesil (a hall used to prepare ancestral rites), a stele marking the former residence of King Mokjo, and the tomb of her husband, Jungyeongmyo. Jungyeongmyo and Yeonggyeongmyo in Samcheok are the only royal tombs of the ancestors of the Joseon royal house located in South Korea, and they hold important historical and academic value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Samcheok, Gangwon

Designation

Historic Site · 사적