Village Guardians of Five Villages, Gochang

These are dangsan (village guardian markers) located in Jungang-dong, Gochang-eup. A dangsan is an object believed in folk religion to house a deity and to be venerated as such; it is also called a dang or sindang (shrine). Centred on Jungang-dong, there is one pair of dangsan each at Sanggeori, Hageori, and Junggeori, to the east, west, and south, and a further three dangsan at Gyochon-ri, north of the village. Here, each pair of dangsan is called Grandfather Dang and Grandmother Dang, but there is nothing in their appearance that distinguishes one from the other according to this naming. Originally all five dangsan were natural stones, but in keeping with pungsu-jiri (geomantic) theory, granite was shaped into pillar form and erected only at the central site and at the south and west sites, to ensure the smooth flow of qi (vital energy); these are the Grandfather Dang of Jungang-dong, Junggeori, and Hageori, designated as a National Folklore Heritage. The Grandfather Dang of Jungang-dong takes the form of a hexagonal pillar topped with a round, hat-like cap. The Grandfather Dang of Junggeori stands on the site of a former dangsan and consists of a square stone pillar topped with a square stone cap. The Grandfather Dang of Hageori stands on a broad, village-owned dangsan site; it is the tallest stone pillar of the three, likewise topped with a cap. After the hat shape they wear, these dangsan are also called satgat-biseok ("straw-hat stelae") or gat-dangsan ("hat dangsan"). The village-wide Dangsanje rite, held to pray for the peace and prosperity of the village, used to be performed every year in the first lunar month, but it has long since ceased, and now only individuals who wish to do so offer devotions privately. Inscriptions carved on each dangsan show that all of them were erected in the same year, 1803, the third year of King Sunjo of Joseon.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gochang, Jeonbuk

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산