Sinan Dochogoran-ri Stone Jangseung Guardian Posts

The Goran-ri jangseung stand at the village entrance, at a spot known as "Jangseokgeori" or "Samgeori" (three-way crossroads). Carved from granite, the figures wear a hat about 30 cm high shaped like a traditional gat, and a long robe in the style of a dopo, a scholar's overcoat. Below the sleeves, which hang straight down from the shoulders, five fingers are spread out. The face, 80 cm long, is somewhat long in proportion to the overall height of the jangseung, which is 290 cm. The large oval eyes bulge outward, and the triangular nose, running down from narrow, close-set eyebrows, is thick and gives a rough, rustic impression. The ears at the sides of the face are long and thick, extending downward; though roughly made, they also give a soft impression somewhat like the ears of the Buddha Sakyamuni. The mouth gives yet another impression: perhaps intended to intimidate passers-by, the upper and lower teeth are bared, yet the expression can equally look like a smile. The overall impression of the jangseung seems at first rough and intimidating, but the longer one looks at it, the warmer and more humorous it appears. There is no inscription on the body, but the date of erection, read as "Eulchuk sipsamnyeon" (乙丑十三年), is carved on the back. The origin of the Goran-ri jangseung is linked to its role as a village guardian, warding off misfortune and malign influences (sal) to protect the villagers. A wooden jangseung originally stood here, but in 1938 it was replaced with the present stone post, which has survived to today. The inscription on the back now reads "Eulchuk sipsamnyeon" (乙丑十三年), but it is said to have originally read "Showa sipsamnyeon" (昭和十三年, the thirteenth year of the Showa era); after Korea's liberation, the characters for "Eulchuk" (乙丑) were carved in to replace the Japanese era name. The stone jangseung is said to have been made by stonemasons living within Docho-myeon. A related rite of the Goran-ri jangseung is the dangje, a communal village ceremony. The dangje no longer takes place, but in the past it was held on a grand scale, divided into an upper rite (sangdangje) and a lower rite (hadangje), with the stone jangseung serving as the object of worship in the lower rite. It is said that after the rite a bamboo-horse festival (jungmaje), a kind of gut or shamanic ritual play, was performed. The Sinan Dochogoran-ri Stone Jangseung Guardian Posts were originally wooden and served as the focus of a traditional folk community faith around which the dangje was held; carved in stone in 1938, they have notable sculptural qualities and hold valuable folklore significance as jangseung of an island region.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Sinan, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료