Jujeon Hall Beacon Station Gwallyeon Historical Documents

These historical documents provide information on the actual operation of the Jujeon Beacon Station (a Monument of Ulsan Metropolitan City). Dating from the ninth year of King Cheoljong (1858) to the thirty-third year of Emperor Gojong (1896), they comprise eleven items written by hand on Korean paper (hanji). The documents include letters of appointment issued by the magistrate of Ulsan-bu to Bak Chun-bok and his son Bak Myeong-dae as commandants (byeoljang) of the Jujeon Beacon Station; official directives instructing the commandants and the heads of neighbouring villages to keep strict watch and to collect the gunpo (a cloth tax paid in lieu of military service) properly; records of money collected in the form of military provisions from villages near the beacon station, such as Mipo and Jeongja; lists of weapons such as matchlock guns (jochong) and equipment such as cauldrons issued to the Jujeon Beacon Station by Ulsan-bu; and reports made by the commandants after inspecting these items, noting whether anything was amiss. These documents show that the Jujeon Beacon Station was under the jurisdiction of the local magistrate, and that the beacon-tower soldiers were responsible not only for operating the beacon but also, in an emergency, for fighting as soldiers against invading enemies. They also show that the duty of serving as beacon-tower soldiers fell to the residents of the villages near the beacon station, who jointly bore the operating costs, including military provisions. These documents are therefore an important source for understanding the operation of beacon stations in the late Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Nam-gu, Ulsan

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료