Artifacts Excavated from the Tomb of Kim Heum-jo and His Wife

These are a complete set of artifacts excavated from the tomb of Kim Heum-jo (1461–1528), a literary official of the mid-Joseon period, and his wife. Kim Heum-jo's courtesy name was Gyeongsuk and his pen name was Akgeumdang; he was a seventeenth-generation descendant of the Uiseong Kim clan. He passed the mun-gwa examination during the reign of Prince Yeonsan and served as provincial magistrate of Chungju, Sangju and Jeju-mok, and later as pangyeolsa of Jangnyewon under King Jungjong. With his wife, of the Jeong clan, he had four sons and one daughter. The artifacts were discovered in March 1997 during the relocation of the tomb for construction of the national road between Yeongju and Pyeongeun. They comprise 134 items in three categories: 66 pieces of clothing in seven types, 38 documents in two types, and 30 other artifacts in four types. The clothing includes seven danryeong, robes with a round collar; two jingnyeong, robes with a straight collar; eleven dapho, garments resembling jingnyeong but with short sleeves; twelve cheollik, robes with the top and skirt joined together; eight items of trousers; six upper garments; and twenty items used to dress the body for burial. The documents comprise nineteen mansa, elegiac verses composed to mourn the deceased, and nineteen jemun, memorial texts read at funeral rites. Their content mainly praises Kim Heum-jo's career, learning, virtue and good deeds, and expresses personal ties with him, recording the title and name of each author. The other artifacts include ceramics such as a buncheong jar with stamped floral design, a white porcelain bottle, a small white porcelain jar, a white porcelain lid and a white porcelain bowl; metal objects such as a bronze mirror and iron scissors; glass ornaments; a wooden coffin; and a woven hemp mat. Among the excavated artifacts, the clothing represents forms not previously reported in academic circles and is extremely valuable material for research into the history of Joseon costume and funerary customs. The documents are also of great help for research into funerary systems of the time and are important historical material for tracing the activities of literati, while the 30 other artifacts are valued as precious material for research into the burial goods of provincial officials in the Joseon period.

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Where it is

Region

Yeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산