Daemosanseong Fortress, Yangju

Daemosanseong Fortress in Yangju has sometimes been identified as Maechoseong Fortress, based on entries in the Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) and the Sejong Sillok (Veritable Records of King Sejong); it is also recorded as Daemoseongsan or Daemosanseong in the Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam, the Mangi Yoram, the Gyeonggiji, the Gyeonggi Eupji, the Yeodo Biji and the Daedong Jiji. Located on the route connecting the Imjingang River and Hangang River basins, Daemosanseong stands on the main transport route among the surrounding mountain fortresses. It was built not only for defence but served a complex role as an administrative seat, confirming its importance as a strategic stronghold and administrative centre for the Yangju region. The fortress displays outstanding construction techniques: an outer wall about 7.5m high built of rectangular-cut igneous metamorphic stone, reinforced on the outside with a supplementary wall 4-5m high with a triangular cross-section, and a suspended-gate (hyeonmun) structure reached by ladder. The wall retains its original form well, giving the fortress academic value for clarifying in concrete detail the ancient fortress-building techniques of the sixth and seventh centuries. In addition, seven rounds of excavation carried out between 1980 and 1998 yielded 635 metal artefacts. Items such as bronze bracelets and bronze seals, which only the highest-ranking officials could have owned, show the fortress's status, while various farming and craft tools indicate that the agricultural and handicraft productivity of the area under its jurisdiction was high, and that produce and handicraft goods from the surrounding region were gathered and managed at Daemosanseong, which also served as a logistics hub.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Historic Site · 사적