Jirisan Mountain Seongmo Statue

This is a statue of Seongmo, the Holy Mother, standing on Cheonwangbong Peak of Jirisan Mountain. She was a goddess of folk belief who protected the mountain, and has been an object of veneration at the state level since ancient times. According to records, Park Hyeokgeose of Silla enshrined his mother as the mountain spirit of Jirisan, honouring her as a guardian deity of the state with rites held each spring and autumn, and King Taejo of Goryeo, Wang Geon, likewise venerated his own mother, Queen Wisuk, as the mountain spirit. The Seongmo statue has her hair coiled up and a full face. Her eyes are deep-set, and below a sharply defined nose a small mouth is carved. The upper body appears to be clothed in a jeogori, a traditional short jacket, with the hands clasped together at chest height; unusually, the entire stone figure has a bluish tint. It is not known when the statue was made, but its head and body are said to have become separated and lost in the 1970s, before being recovered and restored in 1987.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Sancheong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산