Mangu Hall Gwak Jae-u Remains Stele, Changnyeong

A yuheobi is a stele erected to examine the traces of a former sage and pass them down to later generations in his honour; this stele commemorates the achievements of Gwak Jae-u, a righteous-army leader during the Japanese invasions of Korea (the Imjin War). Gwak Jae-u (1552–1617), whose pen name was Mangudang, passed a special state examination in 1585, the 18th year of King Seonjo, at the age of thirty-four, but when his essay was judged to have gone against the king's wishes and his pass was annulled, he gave up early on any intention of pursuing a career through the state examinations. When the Japanese invasions broke out and the government army suffered a heavy defeat, he raised a righteous army in Uiryeong and other areas to fight the enemy in the government army's stead. For this he was appointed Yugokchalbang, overseer of a postal station, and held several other offices afterwards, but he soon gave up his post and returned to Hyeonpung. During the Jeongyu War, the second Japanese invasion, he raised righteous armies in the four counties of Miryang, Yeongsan, Changnyeong and Hyeonpung and held Hwawangsanseong Fortress, blocking the enemy's advance; when his stepmother, Lady Heo, died, he left the fortress, completed her funeral, gave up his post, returned to his hometown, and did not respond even when the state called on him again. In 1610, the second year of King Gwanghaegun, he went up to Seoul again at the king's earnest request to take up official duties, but soon returned home citing illness, and he died in 1617, the ninth year of King Gwanghaegun. He was later given the posthumous title "Chungik." The stele, which stands behind Mangujeong Pavilion, was erected by the Confucian scholars of this area to pass his righteous-army spirit on to later generations; it has a simple structure, with the stele body set upon a base stone and the upper corners of the stele trimmed at an angle.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료