Guardian Post of Munhwa-dong, Tongyeong

The Guardian Post of Munhwa-dong, Tongyeong, is a stone jangseung guardian post standing beside the road leading up to Sebyeonggwan Hall. Jangseung, also called beoksu, are a form of folk belief erected at the entrances to villages or temples; they mark boundaries and also serve as guardian deities warding off evil spirits. Jangseung are usually set up in male-female pairs, but the Munhwa-dong guardian post stands alone as a single figure. It was erected in this low-lying spot, hemmed in by mountains on every side, to reinforce the vital energy of the site and to pray for the peace of the village. The Munhwa-dong guardian post displays the distinctive folk aesthetic of appearing fierce yet familiar and humorous, and its rarity as a solitary guardian post adds further to its value. Its forehead is deeply furrowed, its round eyes bulge outward, and its nose is a blunt triangle. It wears a felt hat on its head, and beneath its chin three strands of beard are rendered in thick lines. Its wide, laughing mouth shows long protruding canine teeth, giving it a comic expression. Carved on the front of the post is the inscription "Toji Daejanggun" (Great General of the Earth), and on the back an inscription recording that it was erected in the eighth month of the byeong-o year, the tenth year of the Gwangmu era, by the Dongnak community — showing that this guardian post was raised in 1906, the tenth year of Emperor Gojong's reign.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Tongyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산