Yulgongmae Plum of Ojukheon House, Gangneung

This plum tree is said to have been planted around 1400, at the time Ojukheon House was built, and to have been tended personally by Sin Saimdang and her son Yulgok (Yi I). Sin Saimdang loved plum blossoms enough to paint several works such as Gomaedo (Old Plum Tree) and Mukmaedo (Ink Plum Blossoms), and to name her eldest daughter Maechang (梅窓, "Plum Blossom Window"). It is thought that the memory of this old plum tree, whose trunk would already have been considerably thick by the time Sin Saimdang was born, was later transformed into her plum-blossom paintings, making this a tree of deep historical significance. Yulgongmae belongs to the hongmae (紅梅, "red plum") variety, its blossoms a pale pink; when it flowers around 20 March, its subtle fragrance spreads and lends Ojukheon House an even more solemn atmosphere. At present the western and northern branches of Yulgongmae are almost entirely withered, and the southern branch is also in poor condition; measures to restore the tree's vigour are currently under way. The Yulgongmae Plum of Ojukheon House, Gangneung has deep historical significance through its association with Sin Saimdang and Yulgok, and is of great academic value as a precious resource bearing fruit far larger than that of other plum trees; for these reasons it is designated and protected as a Natural Monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangneung, Gangwon

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물