Anseong Yu Myeong-geon Tomb Stele

Yu Myeong-geon (1664–1724) was of the Gigye Yu clan. His first wife was of the Andong Kim clan, and his second wife was of the Sunheung An clan, daughter of the scholar An Hu-seon. In his youth Yu Myeong-geon studied under Gogun Kim Su-jeung, mastering the classics widely and seeking out renowned Confucian scholars for instruction, devoting himself to scholarship. He entered officialdom through eumsa (appointment by hereditary privilege) and served as magistrate of Naju-mok, among other posts. Yu Myeong-geon's tomb stele (myogal) stands at the entrance to his tomb site, and takes the gaeseok-bangbu form, a roof stone set on a square base. It is topped with a yongnyu-hyeong gaeseok, a roof stone carved with dragons like the yongnyu, the dragon-shaped loop atop a bronze bell. Two dragons are carved in a looped form at the top of the roof stone, bracket sets (gongpo) resembling those of timber buildings are carved at its lower edge, and a plaque (hyeonpan) is set into the front. The inscription was composed by Yi Jae, the seal-script title was written by Yu Myeong-geon's nephew Yu Cheok-gi, and the body text was assembled (jipja) from the calligraphy of Yu Myeong-geon's father-in-law Kim Su-jeung. The stele was erected in 1758, but the roof stone does not match the size of the stele body in size; the style of the roof stone suggests it dates from the 1720s. This tomb stele of Yu Myeong-geon is a highly important work, both for assembling the calligraphy of his father-in-law Kim Su-jeung, and for being the most beautiful example among yongnyu-type roof stones.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Anseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료