Mulberry in Dugok-ri, Sangju

Joseon was, from early times, an agrarian society, and as the term nongsang ("farming and mulberry cultivation") suggests, growing mulberry trees to raise silkworms and weave silk, alongside farming, was one of the most important undertakings of the Joseon state. The court planted and tended mulberry trees in the rear gardens of the palace and encouraged silk-raising among the people. The earliest record of mulberry trees being planted at the palace in the Joseon period appears in the Annals of King Taejong (the first day of the third month of the ninth year of his reign), which officially records that in the ninth year of King Taejong (1409), following the construction of Changdeokgung Palace, an order was given to plant mulberry trees in the palace grounds in imitation of the gongsang (public mulberry-planting) system of King Cheng of the Zhou dynasty of China. The mulberry tree in Dugok-ri, Sangju, is an unusually old specimen for a mulberry, maintaining a beautiful form, and remains so vigorous that it bears a large crop of mulberries every year. Its close connection with everyday Korean culture gives it high folkloric and academic value, and as an indicator that sericulture once flourished in the Sangju region it also carries great historical value; it has therefore been designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Sangju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물