Placenta Chamber (Seokam)

In the Joseon dynasty, whenever a princess or prince was born into the royal family, a propitious mountain site was chosen and the child's placenta buried there to pray for long life. Enshrined here is the placenta of Prince Gyeongpyeong (1600–?), King Seonjo's eleventh son and the second of three sons born to the king and his concubine, Royal Consort Onbin of the Han clan. At the time of excavation, the placenta chamber was found buried in a pit 240 cm deep at the top of a small hill. Inside a round stone chamber (seokam) were two jars holding the placenta and a placenta tablet (taejiseok) recording the date of birth. The chamber stands 142 cm high, made up of a cylindrical body and a lid; a recess 50 cm deep was cut into the body, with a drainage hole bored through its base. This hole is said to have served a geomantic (pungsu) purpose, linking the child to the energy of the earth. The inscription on the placenta tablet shows that the chamber was made in 1608, the 41st year of King Seonjo's reign, eight years after Prince Gyeongpyeong's birth. It is now on display at the Daejeon Local History Museum.

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Where it is

Region

Yuseong-gu, Daejeon

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료