Jinju Pogurangmu

Pogurangmu is one of the dances and songs performed at the royal court, portraying a game of throwing a ball into a hole. According to the Goryeosa (History of Goryeo) and the Akhak gwebeom (Guide to the Study of Music), Pogurangmu was introduced from China during the Goryeo period and was handed down until the early Joseon period; the Jinju Pogurangmu is said to have originated from the Gyobang gayo (songs and dances performed to welcome the king along the road) of Jeong Hyeon-seok, who served as magistrate of Jinju during the reign of Emperor Gojong (r. 1863–1907). Pogurangmu is performed wearing a mongduri, a robe worn by gisaeng or shamans, together with a hwagwan, a headdress worn while singing and dancing. In its sequence, the dancers first divide into two teams standing on either side of a pogumun (ball-throwing gate) erected in the centre. When the music announcing the start is played, the jukganja, performers holding bamboo staffs, step forward, stand to the left and right of the pogumun, call out a verse, and withdraw. The dancers then perform various dances to different rhythms, and in turn throw the ball into the hole. A dancer whose ball goes in is rewarded with a flower and sings the refrain "jihwaja", while one who misses is punished by having their face marked with an ink-dipped brush. The performance ends with a final verse from the jukganja, after which all the dancers exit while dancing. The Jinju Pogurangmu is the form of Pogurangmu handed down in Jinju. Its distinguishing features are that the hwagwan, mongduri and jukganja found in the court Pogurangmu have been dropped, a song has been added to the music announcing the start of the performance, and the manner of reward and punishment has changed. As Pogurangmu spread to the provinces, the Jinju Pogurangmu absorbed various changes and folk elements to become a distinctive performance in its own right, and it is being carried on today by Jeong Geum-sun, who lives in Jinju.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jinju, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Intangible Heritage · 시도무형유산