Sugyong Sim Clan Myopyo

This myopyo is a stone stele that had stood in the Takahashi Korekiyo Memorial Park — built on the site of the former residence of Takahashi Korekiyo (1854–1936), a leading figure in Japanese finance who served as prime minister and finance minister before being assassinated in 1936 — in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, until it was returned to Korea by her descendants in 2001. The front of the stone body is inscribed "Tomb of Lady Sugyong of the Sim Clan" (淑容沈氏之墓), indicating that this myopyo is presumed to have stood before the tomb of Lady Sugyong of the Sim clan, a royal concubine of King Seongjong who bore him two sons — Prince Iseong and Prince Yeongsan — and two daughters — Princess Gyeongsun and Princess Sukhye. It is unclear exactly when the stele was taken to Japan, but since the tomb itself had long been said to be lost even to her descendants, it is presumed to date from the Japanese invasions of 1592–1598, a period when the royal tombs of King Seongjong and King Jungjong were also damaged. It is now enshrined on a platform built at 50 Jingwanoe-dong, Eunpyeong-gu. Lady Sugyong of the Sim clan was the daughter of Sim Mal-dong, who was awarded second-class merit as a Wonjong Meritorious Subject for his contribution to King Sejo's enthronement. How she came to become a royal concubine is not known, but an entry for the 14th day of the fourth month of the 24th year of King Seongjong's reign in the Annals of King Seongjong records that "...Suk-won Sim has now suffered the loss of her father...(omitted)," suggesting she had already become a royal concubine before 1493. The tomb epitaph of King Seongjong recorded in the Annals lists three queens and seven royal concubines; Lady Sim appears last, holding the fourth-rank consort title of Suk-won in the inner court hierarchy. This suggests she remained a Suk-won until King Seongjong's death and was only posthumously elevated to the third-rank title of Sugyong at a later date. The title "Lady Sugyong of the Sim Clan" appears in the Seonwon Gyebo Giryak (a royal genealogical record), the clan record of the Jangheung-gun branch of the Jeonju Yi clan, and on this stele itself, but the date of her posthumous elevation remains unknown. This myopyo was probably made either in the year her tomb was built following her death, or at the time of her posthumous elevation to Sugyong. The clan record of the Jangheung-gun branch of the Jeonju Yi clan states that Lady Sugyong Sim died in the Eulhae year (1515) of King Jungjong's reign, so the possibility that the stele was made around that time cannot be ruled out. The form of the myopyo itself is also typical of the 16th century. It consists of three parts — a capstone (bisu), a body (bisin), and a base (bidae) — with the capstone and body carved from a single stone that is then set into a two-tiered base, the so-called tongbi (single-stone stele) form. The capstone and body are made of white marble, and the base of granite. Capstones of this kind are usually carved as an isu bearing a hornless dragon, known as a gyoryong, but here a horned male dragon is depicted amid cloud patterns, its horns, whiskers and nose carved with clarity and delicacy. The rear and both side faces of the capstone are likewise surrounded by cloud patterns. Cloud patterns on stele capstones are commonly seen from the early Joseon period onward, but examples such as this one, where a dragon is carved within the cloud pattern, are rare, making it a representative example of 16th-century stele craftsmanship.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물