Sim Jeup Spirit-path Stele

Sindo (神道) means the path leading to a deceased person's grave, and a sindobi is a stele erected in front of, or along the road to, a tomb to commemorate the achievements of a king or high official. Sindobi are said to originate in China from the Han dynasty, when stone steles were erected near the tombs or by the roadside of officials of the second rank or above, beginning with the sindobi of Gotae Wiyanggong by Yang Jin of the Han. In Korea they are set up to the southeast of a king's or high official's tomb, facing south. The practice appears to have begun generally in the Goryeo period, though its inscriptions survive only in literary collections such as the Dongmunseon, and at that time steles were erected for tombs of those of the third rank or above. Under the Joseon system, only officials of the second rank or above were permitted to have a sindobi erected, and a good number survive to this day, including that at Geonwolleung, the tomb of King Taejo in Yangju, and the sindobi of Jeong Nan-jong in Ansan. King Munjong, however, banned the erection of sindobi at royal tombs, while at the same time there were cases in which a sindobi was ordered erected by royal command for a meritorious subject or eminent scholar. In the Joseon period the erection of sindobi thus became formally restricted to those of the second rank or above. This sindobi was erected in honour of Sim Jeup (1569–1644), a civil official under King Injo of Joseon. Sim Jeup's courtesy name was Jasun, his pen name was Namae, and his posthumous title was Hyogan. After passing the civil service examination in 1597 (the 30th year of King Seonjo) he served successively as Minister of Punishments, Minister of Public Works and Minister of Rites; when King Injo fled to Gongju during the Yi Gwal Rebellion, Sim Jeup accompanied him in his flight and was honoured as a Hojong (Royal Escort) Meritorious Subject. Sim Jeup's grave was originally in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, but was later relocated to Gongchon-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, and the sindobi was moved together with it at that time. The stele consists of a rectangular base stone, a tall rectangular body stone set upright on it, and a roof stone placed on top. It stands 1.9 m high in total, 0.85 m wide and 0.53 m thick. The eminent Confucian scholar Song Si-yeol composed the inscription, Hong Bong-jo (1680–1760) wrote the calligraphy, and Yu Cheok-gi carved it onto the stele.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seohae-gu, Incheon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산