Nammongmaseong Fortress

A maseong (horse wall) is a stone wall built around the perimeter of a pasture to stop horses from escaping. During the Joseon period, the state established more than 200 such pastures, mainly along the coast and on islands, to raise horses for its own use. In the Ulsan region, three pastures were established in the early Joseon period — Bangeojin Pasture (the old pasture), Bangamsan Pasture and Igilgot Pasture — but Bangamsan Pasture and Igilgot Pasture appear to have been abandoned before completion. The Ulsan pastures belonged to the central government's Sabok-si, the office in charge of royal horses. According to the Gyeongsang-do Sokchan Jiriji (1469), "there was a pasture at Bangeojin, raising 360 horses, with a perimeter of 47 ri [a traditional unit of distance]." The "Map of Yeompo" included in the Haedong Jegukgi (1471) also shows a maseong running along the boundary between Yeompo and Yangjeong, passing through Simcheongok, from Seonggol to the boundary of Gangdong-dong. The Hakseongji (1749) records that a new maseong was built in 1651, and indeed a rock inscribed "built in the second month of the sinmyo year, the eighth year of Shunzhi [1651], with a circumference of 377 bo" was found at Nammongmaseong, confirming that this is the "new maseong" built that year. The scale of the new maseong is recorded variously: 10 ri east–west and 15 ri north–south in the Mokjang Jido (1663); 3,626 bo in the Hakseongji (1749); 1,930 bo in the Ulsanbu Eupji (1832); and 1,913 pa in the Ulsan Mokjang Mokji (1871). The present Nammongmaseong runs from the boundary of Jungni and Seongnae in Yeompo-dong, along the southern foot of the hill beside the road that crosses over to Nammok, and eastward to Mipo, a distance of 5.1 km; on maps its total length comes to about 5.11 km. The wall is built by the basic hyeopchuk method, with both an inner and an outer stone face, and what survives is about 1.8–2 m wide and 1.5–2 m high. Records relating to the new maseong mention a "rebuilding by seven counties" in 1651, showing that residents of Ulsan, Mungyeong, Cheongdo, Miryang, Yeongcheon and Gyeongju were mobilised to build the wall. Stones inscribed with the place names Eonyang, Cheongdo and Heunghae have also been found in the wall, showing that it was built in sections by different localities. Nammongmaseong was abolished in 1897, the 34th year of Emperor Gojong. The area's original name is said to have been "Nammok" (南木, meaning "southern wood"), which changed to "Nammok" (南牧, meaning "southern pasture") once the pasture was established there.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Dong-gu, Ulsan

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물