Hayeonyujeok Stele in Oesan-ri, Gurye

The Yongso Valley, where the Hayeonyujeok Stele stands, lies in a gorge within a basin that opens to the southwest, centred on Manbokdae Peak in Sandong-myeon, Gurye-gun, along the Baekdudaegan mountain range running from Deogyusan Mountain to Jirisan Mountain. It is a scenic spot where the upper reaches of the Seosicheon Stream, a tributary of the Seomjingang River, form the outlet of the so-called 'Sandong Basin', giving rise to the name Yongso, or 'Dragon Pool'. This stele, formally titled the 'Stele of the Relocated Cliff Poem of Gyeongjae Ha Sang-gong' (敬齋 河相公 石崖詩 移刻碑), was erected in 1811, but it records the history and figures of the early Joseon period together with the setting of a folk tale. It concerns an old man, a carp and a dragon that appeared in a dream to Gyeongjae Ha Yeon (河演, 1376–1453) while he was sleeping at the Jungbang county office of Namwon-bu, after he had taken up the post of governor of Jeolla-do in 1421. The stele also transcribes a poem originally carved on a rock face, recording, together with the poem, the circumstances of its composition as well as the original verse and its rhyme-matching responses. Although the account is largely of a fantastical nature, it is unusual in that it shows the exchange activities of literati, centred on a place of outstanding scenery, taking the form of a folk tale. As a cultural landscape district where scenery and humanistic activity come together, the stele has historical and academic value: it is connected to a real historical figure of the early Joseon period whose record continues into later generations; the form of the folk tale is confirmed through historical records; and the literary spirit lives on continuously through the original poem and its rhyme-matching responses.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gurye, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료