• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.34-51
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• 2012

Jangneung (the Royal Tomb of King Danjong) and Sareung (the Royal Tomb of Queen Jeongsun) are simple in their design and layout. Not only are the sizes of the stone statues small, but stone soldiers are not installed at all despite the fact that Danjong at one point served as the King of Joseon. Moreover, only a pair of seoksu (stone animal) is installed for each Tomb. These royal tombs were originally made as common tombs and later upgraded as Royal Tombs when Danjong's royal status was reinstated posthumously in 1698. Thus, in comparison to royal tombs in general, the scale of these tombs is by far modest. For this paper, archival records and other literature for the burial upgrade process and the stone sculptures are examined; also, the stone sculptures have been examined and measured on-site, and they have been compared and analyzed based on the data thus obtained. Furthermore, this paper traces the historical context of the period in which the simplification of the stone sculptures took place for Jangneung and Sareung. The paper argues that the cause of the modest scale lies not so much in the fact that King Danjong had been dethroned as a commoner, but in the cataclysmic famine and epidemic that swept the country during the time when the two royal tombs were upgraded as such.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.79-97
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• 2008

Since now, the study on the Goryo royal tomb has been insufficient because of the realistic restriction. Goryo royal tombs are mostly located in Gae-sung, the capital of the Goryo Dynasty and we don't have possibility to see them actually. And also the Study on stone figures which has been closely related with the structures of the royal tomb has limited in Unified Silla and the Choson Dynasty period. So in this paper I have examined Stone figures of the royal tomb in Gangdo period with the target on five Goryo royal tombs of that period. In the result of this study, the royal tomb system in Gangdo period was more streamlined than that of the previous period. For example, facilities such as the railing stone or a folding screen stone were simplified. And sculpture Came to be smaller than after that perial. Also Icon of sculpture changed. It is presumed that this change was because of the anxious situation of Gangdo period with politic and social.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.198-221
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• 2009

Royal tombs of Joseon dynasty are the crystallization of history, ideology, culture, art, architecture, and ritual ceremony of Joseon dynasty, all mingled in one. So, they are very significant symbols showing 500 years of dynastic history as a whole. Among various factors comprising a royal tomb, stone figures surrounding grave mound are special factors as a symbol protecting it. Further among them, twelve zodiac images arrayed nearest to the grave mound represent the core of the function. Images of twelve zodiac signs originated from the tombs of the Unified Silla Kingdom are certain to hold important role and position in the construction of royal tombs, judging from huge scale and excellent sculptural art of them. However, both their scale and form had been gradually simplified in Goryeo and Joseon dynasty, thus the importance of them has been underestimated compared to other stone figures Images of twelve zodiac signs were very important factors which decorated royal tombs both as a protective role and as a concept of direction. Their historicity and symbolism cannot be neglected in that they had been transmitted to the royal tombs of Joseon dynasty. In this paper, images of twelve zodiac signs expressed in the royal tombs of Joseon dynasty are classified into 3 forms, and reviewed the origin and development of them for each period. They could be classified into 3 forms ; civil vassals with human body and head, civil vassals with human body and head wearing hat decorated with zodiac animals, Chinese characters of either zodiac signs or either a combination of 10 calendar signs and 8 trigrams. The above 3 forms originated from China and became a favorite motif to decorate the royal tombs from early Joseon period until late Joseon by replacing each other and thus changing along the course of the dynasty. In the meantime, we can see a unique character in the images of twelve zodiac signs of royal tombs of Joseon dynasty. In some cases, 24 directions are expressed in which 10 calender signs and 8 trigrams are composed altogether. Images of twelve zodiac signs in the royal bombs of Joseon dynasty are very significant as evidences by which we can confirm uniqueness and tradition of Korean tomb system transmitted from Unified Silla period.