Sindang-dong Stone Jangseung Guardian Posts

This is a stone jangseung standing at the entrance to a village. Jangseung are a form of folk belief, and their bodies are usually inscribed with words describing their role, by which they are commonly named; this particular jangseung, however, bears no such inscription and is simply called "jangseungbi" (jangseung monument) by the villagers. The jangseung is carved from a squared stone pillar, with a face carved on one side. A hat shape is carved at the top of the pillar, and the face bears carved eyebrows, eyes, a nose and a mouth; the mouth appears to be smiling slightly, and part of the nose has broken away. It differs from ordinary jangseung in that it holds in its hand a rod topped with a yeouiju, a wish-fulfilling jewel. Judging from the hat carved at the top of the pillar, it appears to represent a civil official, but the plain and gentle rendering of the facial features also gives it the air of a Maitreya-type (mireuk) jangseung. Jangseung carry different meanings depending on the inscription on the chest, the appearance, and the place where they stand. In the case of this jangseung, its broken nose and the wish-fulfilling-jewel rod it holds suggest it may have been an object of prayer for women hoping to conceive, following the folk belief that eating a paste made from a jangseung's eyes or nose brings pregnancy; or it may have functioned as a guardian deity protecting the whole village from evil spirits and disease. Moreover, since the jangseung stands at the entrance to the village, and this site is said to have once been the entrance to a temple, it appears to have served both to guard the village and to preserve the sanctity of the temple grounds. Dating from the Joseon period, it survives as a form of jangseung worship fulfilling multiple roles, in the Daegu region, where stone jangseung are not common.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Dalseo-gu, Daegu

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산