Jangheung Deogamniamgangmaehyangmyeong

The Jangheung Deogam-ri Amgak Maehyangmyeong is an inscription recording a maehyang (incense-burying) rite held in the early Joseon period, in 1435, the 17th year of King Sejong. Maehyang (埋香) is a folk Buddhist rite in which fragrant wood is buried. The wood was buried for a long time at a spot where fresh water met the tide, then later dug up and used as medicine or for Buddhist ceremonies; a maehyang stele, or in this case a rock-carved inscription, recorded the date and place of the burial and the people involved. The inscription, carved in intaglio into the natural rock face, runs from left to right, unlike the usual practice of reading from right to left. It consists of six lines and twenty-one characters in total. The calligraphy does not appear especially refined, being somewhat plain and rough. Its content can be summarised as follows: in October 1435 many people made a vow and buried the fragrant wood facing south-southeast, and the hyangdo, the local lay Buddhist association that organised such rituals, was led by Hong Sin. The Jangheung Deogam-ri Amgak Maehyangmyeong is valuable evidence that Buddhist rites continued in village society in the early Joseon period, even though this was the time, from the reign of King Taejong to that of King Sejong, when anti-Buddhist policy was at its harshest, making it a precious source for research into the Buddhist history, social history and local culture of the Joseon dynasty.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jangheung, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료