Munjeonggongjochung Epitaph Tablet

This is the epitaph tablet (jijiseok) of Jo Chung (1171–1220), posthumously honoured as Munjeonggong, a civil official of the Goryeo dynasty. An epitaph tablet records the deceased's personal details and the location of the tomb, and is buried together with the body. The tablet is made of dark bluish-grey stone (cheongseok), its surface roughly dressed, with the inscription carved only on the front. The edges of the front are bordered with a vine scroll pattern, inside of which a further line was drawn as a frame. The tablet as a whole has split into four pieces and is badly pitted in many places, making the text difficult to read accurately, but it appears to record an introduction to his ancestors, his life, his character and anecdotes about him, and his family relationships. It was made in 1220, the seventh year of Emperor Gojong, the year Jo Chung died. His tomb was originally in Gaeseong, but when the country was divided along the 38th parallel his descendants moved it to its present site. The tablet was discovered in 1988 when the grave site was being repaired.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hoengseong, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산