Kim Gye-hwi Spirit-path Stele

A spirit-path stele (sindobi) is a stone monument recording the lifetime achievements of a king or high official, erected south-east of his tomb. This stele was erected in honour of Kim Gye-hwi, a civil official of the mid-Joseon period, and stands in the village of Gojeong-ri, where many heritage sites of the Gwangsan Kim clan are concentrated. Kim Gye-hwi was the father of Kim Jang-saeng (pen name Sagye); he was born in 1526, the twenty-first year of King Jungjong of Joseon, and showed an exceptional talent for writing from childhood. In 1549, the fourth year of King Myeongjong, he passed the munkwa civil service examination and was appointed an official of the Seungmunwon (Office of Diplomatic Correspondence), after which he served as a court historian and rose to become an official of the Board of Personnel. He was once dismissed from office and taught younger students in his hometown, before being reappointed and becoming a senior official of the Board of Personnel. In 1566, the twenty-first year of King Myeongjong, he passed the special reexamination of the munkwa and became a royal secretary and head of the Office of the Inspector-General, then rose to vice-minister of the Ministry of Rites and became a royal lecturer. He died in 1582, the fifteenth year of King Seonjo, and was posthumously honoured with the title of Minister of Personnel. The stele was erected in 1604, the thirty-seventh year of King Seonjo; the epitaph was composed by Choe Rip, magistrate of Ganseong County, and the calligraphy was written by his grandson Kim Jip. The stele body stands on a carved square base stone and is capped with a capstone, a form that well illustrates the technique of the mid-Joseon period. Text is engraved on all four sides of the stele body, but it has worn badly and is difficult to read. On the front and back of the capstone, two dragons on each side are carved fighting over a magic jewel. It originally stood within the village but has since been moved to the village entrance.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Nonsan, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산