Uigyeon Stele

The Uigyeon Stele, meaning "Righteous Dog Stele," stands in Wondongsan Park beside Osu Market and commemorates the loyalty and devotion of a dog that gave its life to save its master. It stands at Wondongsan in Osu-myeon, and the exact date of its erection is unclear. It was discovered around 1928 in Sangni village during construction work on the Jeolla rail line, and in 1940 it was moved to its present site at Wondongsan in Osu by fire brigade member Kim Yong-won and his fellow firefighters. In 1971 it was designated a folklore heritage of Jeollabuk-do. The stele is 218 cm tall, 98 cm wide at the top, 96 cm wide at the bottom and 28 cm thick, standing on a natural stone base. The figure of a dog is clearly carved on the front; on the back, more than 100 characters have been deciphered, recording the names of over 65 people listed as donors, major donors, and donors of gilding. The legend of the Osu loyal dog is recorded in Choe Ja's Bohanjip (1254). According to the tale, Kim Gae-in, a man of Georyeong-hyeon, grew drunk on his way home and fell asleep by the roadside. When a wildfire broke out and threatened his life, his dog ran back and forth to a nearby stream, soaking its own body with water to keep the flames from reaching its master, until it collapsed from exhaustion and died. When Kim Gae-in woke and saw what the dog had done, he was deeply grieved. In his sorrow he made a grave for it and marked the spot by planting the walking stick he had been carrying. The stick is said to have taken root and grown into a tree, which came to be called Osu, "Dog Tree," meaning the tree that grew from the dog's grave - the origin of the place name Osu.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Imsil, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산