Yi Su-il Spirit-path Stele, Chungju

This is a sindobi, a spirit-path stele commemorating the achievements of General Yi Su-il (1554–1632), a military official of the mid-Joseon period; a sindobi is a stele erected beside a road near a tomb to commemorate the lifetime achievements of a king or high official. Yi Su-il's sobriquet was Eunam. After passing the military examination in 1583, the 16th year of King Seonjo, he raised righteous-army (uibyeong) forces during the Japanese invasions of 1592–98 and achieved great merit. He later served as magistrate of Miryang and as Naval Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province, and during the second Japanese invasion of 1597 he distinguished himself in repelling the Japanese and was promoted to the rank of Gaseon-daebu. When Yi Gwal's Rebellion broke out in 1624, the second year of King Injo, he decisively defeated the rebel forces and helped recover Seoul; for this he was made a second-class Jinmu Merit Subject, enfeoffed as Lord of Gyerim (Gyerim-bu-wongun), and eventually rose to Minister of Justice. The stele's base and capstone are of granite and its body of marble. The base is carved in the grand, stylised form of a tortoise, supporting the stele body inscribed with more than 4,100 characters; two dragons are delicately carved on each of the front and back faces of the capstone. The stele stands 420 cm high overall, with the body 243 cm high, 97 cm wide and 27 cm thick. It was erected in 1667, the eighth year of King Hyeonjong of Joseon, with the text composed by Yi Gyeong-yeo, the calligraphy by Kim Jwa-myeong, and the inscription carved by Kim Su-hang. Its grand yet delicate carving, and in particular the form of the tortoise base, make it valuable material for both art history and scholarship. Nearby stand Yi Su-il's tomb (a Chungcheongbuk-do Provincial Monument) and Chunghunsa, the shrine dedicated to him.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산