Monument for the Incense Burial Ceremony in Heungsa-ri, Sacheon

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.614

Category

Books & Records

Era

고려 우왕 13년(1387)

Designated year

1978

Location

사천시, 경상남도— 경남 사천시 곤양면 흥사리 산48-2번지

Coordinates

35.086585, 128.014947

This monument records the details of an incense ritual in which incense is buried in the ground or burnt in homage to gods of Heaven and Earth. The details engraved on the monument include the date and proceedings of the ritual and the names of participants. The monument, only roughly-hewn, has an extremely irregular surface. The characters are uneven in size and are not well aligned either horizontally or vertically. The number of characters contained in a line also varies. This epigraphy is, nevertheless, interesting due to its quaint-looking script, offering a glimpse into the style of writing practiced outside the capital area in historical Korea. According to the information provided by the monument, amid the social unrest in late Goryeo, a group of 4,100 people, led by Buddhist monks, gathered at this place and held an incense ritual to pray for the health and longevity of the king, prosperity of the country and the peace and happiness of its people. The epigraph was composed by the monk Dalgong, written by Suan and carved by Kim Yong. The monument was erected in 1387 (the 13th year of King U’s reign of Goryeo). This stone monument providing a window onto the society of late Goryeo, is all the more valuable, because its purpose and date of construction are clearly established.

Location