• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.325-353
• /
• 2017

This article aims to investigate the geographical distribution and the cultural, historical, and symbolic meanings of the place names in the area of Bukhansanseong (Fortress), and to basically suggest the several features which have happened throughout the process of toponymic changes. In order to realize the purpose of the article, I collected the chronological toponymic data, particularly focusing on the Bukhanji (Record of Bukhansanseong, 1745) in which the most existing place names related to Bukhansanseong are recorded. In the meantime, I proposed the character of distributions and types of the physical, human place names according to the rear-part of toponymic morpheme, i.e. the generic name. Moreover, selecting the main place names such as 'Bukhansan', etc., I analyzed some features on the toponymic meanings and changes in accordance with the fore-part of toponymic morpheme, the specific name. Consequently, I identified the facts that the name of 'Bukhansan' in the era of the Three Kingdoms, 'Samgaksan' in the Goryeo Dynasty, and again 'Bukhansan' or 'Buksan' in the Joseon Dynasty era had been primarily called. And then the place name, 'Bukhansan' has been officially named until now since constructing the Bukhansanseong Fortress in 1711. Meanwhile, the physical place names related to mountainous and fluvial topography, the place names of artificial facilities such as a mountain fortress on this geographical environment, and especially Buddhistic place names which was named and identified by Buddhist monk, Seongneung who wrote the Bukhanji, representing the Buddhistic identity and ideology, form a large majority of the place names within Bukhansanseong.