Songgokseowon Juniper Tree, Seosan

Basic information

Designation

Natural Monument No.553

Category

동식물

Designated year

2018

Location

서산시, 충청남도— 충청남도 서산시 인지면 애정리 494

Coordinates

36.726894, 126.412706

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

No written records survive concerning the two Chinese juniper trees (Juniperus chinensis) standing on either side of the entrance to Songgok Seowon. According to folk legend passed down by the Seoryeong Ryu (柳) clan, Ryu Yun (楙洞處士, –1476) is said to have planted them as garden trees after renouncing his official career when King Danjong abdicated in 1455. However, the source does not indicate where he settled in retirement. According to the 'Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia' entry for Ryu Yun, he withdrew from office after Danjong was deposed, went into seclusion at Mudong in Cheongju (present-day Yeongje-ri, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do), and refused repeated invitations from King Sejo to return to office; the king accordingly conferred the honorary title 'Mudong Cheosa' (楙洞處士) upon him, which became his pen name. This source addresses only details unrelated to Seosan. Ryu Yun had a deep affinity with trees: in Yeongje-ri, Osong-eup, Cheongju—where he once lived—a quince tree now designated as a Natural Monument stands, estimated to be at least 600 years old, having been planted before his hermitage. Although Ryu Yun's ancestral seat was Seoryeong, he did not actually live in Seosan; his descendants flourished mainly around Cheongju, eventually giving rise to the Mudong Cheosagong branch of the Seoryeong Ryu clan. Nevertheless, he was enshrined at Songgok Seowon as an exemplar of loyalty and moral integrity (義節臣), and the legend surrounding the juniper trees is thought to have originated from this association. The two Chinese juniper trees (Juniperus chinensis), planted symmetrically at the seowon's entrance to embody the philosophy of Taegeuk (太極) and Yin-Yang (陰陽), represent a remarkable and uncommon example, and are designated and protected as Natural Monuments for their high academic value as ancient trees.

Location