Dol Hareubang Stone Statues

Known by such names as 'useokmok', 'museokmok' and 'beoksu-meori', these statues originally stood at the entrances to the castle gates of Jeju-mok, Jeongui-hyeon and Daejeong-hyeon. Today they are scattered across the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum, Jeju National University, Jeju City Hall, Jeju International Airport, Samseonghyeol, Gwandeokjeong and other sites, with 21 standing within Jeju city, 12 at Seongeup, and 12 more at Inseong, Anseong and Boseong in Daejeong — 45 in all. The statues generally wear a rounded, brimmed hat, and have large bulging eyes, a big bulbous nose, a tightly closed mouth, and both hands placed solemnly on the stomach, one above the other. Their average height is 187 cm in Jeju, 141 cm in Seongeup and 134 cm in Daejeong, and they are thought to have been carved around 1754, the 30th year of King Yeongjo. Standing before the castle gates, they are believed to have served as guardian deities with a shamanistic religious function and as markers of the town boundary, a role thought to resemble that of the jangseung (guardian posts, carved figures traditionally set up to ward off evil and mark boundaries) found on the mainland. Dol Hareubang are now so widely known, at home and abroad, that they have become almost a symbol of Jeju Island, and they remain a precious piece of folk material cherished by people the world over. The name 'Dol Hareubang' is a relatively recent coinage; the original names were 'useokmok', 'museokmok' and 'beoksu-meori'.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seogwipo, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산