Guamhanbaekgyeommyo Shrine and Spirit-path Stele

Han Baek-gyeom (1552–1615), whose pen name was Guam, belonged to the Cheongju Han clan. Using empirical and textually critical methods, he studied the history and geography of Joseon, writing such works as the Dongguk Jiriji (Geography of the Eastern Country) and the Gijeon-go. The grave of Han Baek-gyeom was built as a single mound containing a joint burial with his wife of the Hamchang Kim clan. In front of the mound stand a spirit-seat stone, a tombstone and stone figures, and further in front of these a stone pillar (manjuseok) and civil-official stone statues (muninseok) have been erected. The tombstone is in the wonsubangbu form, a stele with a rounded capstone and a square base. The spirit-path stele for Han Baek-gyeom, erected at the foot of the hill below the grave site, was built in 1644 and takes the isugwibu form, a stele with a dragon-carved top and a tortoise-shaped base. This work had been prepared for erection by Han Baek-gyeom's younger brother, Han Jun-gyeom, but he died before it was completed, and it was his descendants who finally erected it. The tortoise base of this spirit-path stele is in a highly distinctive form, with its head turned up over its left shoulder, and the dragon-carved top is likewise an extremely ornate piece of work. The inscription was composed by Jeong Gyeong-se, the main text written in brush by O Jun, and the seal-script heading written by Kim Gwang-uk.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeoju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물