Idaewonjanggunmyo Shrine and Spirit-path Stele

This is the tomb of General Yi Dae-won (1556–1587), a military official of the mid-Joseon period. In 1587, the twentieth year of King Seonjo, he won great merit suppressing Japanese pirates who had appeared along the southern coast. When the pirates invaded Heungyang again, he set out with troops and was killed in battle fighting the enemy at sea off Sonjukdo Island. The tomb precinct takes the form of three adjoining mounds, containing the general together with his wives of the Gyeongju Kim clan and the Yongin Yi clan. The general's mound lies in the centre; as his body could not be recovered, it is said that his clothing was buried in its place. The tombstone is of the "round-topped, square-based" form, and was erected at a later date. At the entrance to the tomb precinct stands a spirit-path stele — a stele set up beside a road near the tomb of a king or high official to commemorate his life's achievements — erected in 1699, the twenty-fifth year of King Sukjong. The inscription was composed by Nam Gu-man and written out by Jo Sang-u, while the stele's title, carved in seal script, was written by Kim Jin-gyu. The spirit-path stele follows the common "roof-topped, square-based" form, but is distinctive for its grand scale and the unusual patterning on its base stone. This tomb precinct is a culturally valuable heritage site, showing both the artistry of seventeenth-century stone carving and the characteristics of Gyeonggi-region tomb culture.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물