Hakgongnihwangjanggeumpyo

Located to the left of the entrance leading to Guryongsa Temple within Chiaksan Mountain, this is a marker stone (geumpyo) erected to forbid the public from felling trees, in order to protect hwangjangmok, a fine-quality pine valued for its hard wood and yellow-coloured heartwood. Hwangjangmok was one of the special local products presented to the royal court and was used in the palace mainly for making coffins. Chiaksan Mountain was especially renowned not only because it had an abundance of fine pine but also because a government office stood nearby, making the trees easier to manage, and because, lying on the upper reaches of the Hangang River, the timber could conveniently be rafted downstream to Hanyang. It was thus one of the most celebrated of the more than sixty hwangjangmok protection forests found across the country. The geumpyo takes the form of a small rock with one face smoothed flat and inscribed with the words "Hwangjang geumpyo" ("Prohibited area for hwangjang pine"); recently the character "dong" (east) was newly discovered above, between the characters "geum" and "pyo." About 100 metres down from the entrance to Guryongsa Temple, another geumpyo remains, partly buried in the earth beside the road, above which the character "oe" (outer) can be seen above the words "geumpyo." This system of designating and marking protected forest areas dates back to the early Joseon period; besides this site, similar geumpyo are found elsewhere in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, including at Inje, Yeongwol and Yangyang.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Wonju, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물