The Tombs of the Joseon dynasty refers to the 40 tombs of members of the House of Yi, which ruled Korea (at the time known as Joseon, and later as the Korean Empire) between 1392–1910. These tombs are scattered over 18 locations across the Korean Peninsula. They were built to honor and respect the ancestors and their achievements, and assert their royal authority.[1] The tombs have been registered as an UNESCOWorld Heritage Site since 2009. Two other Joseon tombs, located in Kaesong, North Korea, were proposed but not submitted.
The royal tombs can be divided into three main sections:
Area around Jeongjagak
It is the meeting point between the dead and the living. The area around Hongsalmun gate is the space for the living.
Area just past the gate
This is the space between the earthly and the holy. This is the area where the spirits of the kings and queens meet their earthly worshippers. This area also contains the Jeongjagak shrine, the Subokbang, and the Suragan buildings.
The sacred ground of the grave mounds
This area also includes the wall, and the other stone structures.[2]
Muinseok – statue of a soldier said to be guarding the king and is placed below the Muninseok.
Yegam – it is located on the left-side corner behind the Jeongjagak and is used for burning the written prayers after a burial service.
Bigak – a building which has a stone monument where the names of the king and the queen are written at the front, while at the back was written the list of the king's accomplishments.
Jeongjagak – this is where memorial services are held.
Chamdo – these are two stone-covered paths that leads to the Jeongjagak. The higher path is called Sindo (The Path of the Gods), while the lower path is called Eodo (The Path Of the King). Only the Eodo path can be used by visitors in accordance to Korean custom.
Suragan – this is where the food for the memorial services are brought and prepared.
Subokbang – this is the living quarter of the officer guarding the tomb.
Baewi – this is where the king and memorial service officials knelt in honor of the deceased king. It is also called Panwi or Eobaseok.
Hongsalmun – this is the gate with two red cylindrical pillars.
Byeongpungseok – it is the stone which was placed underneath and around to protect the Bongbun.
Tombs
The tombs are classified into two types. The kings and queens and those posthumously granted the title of king or queen, were interred in neung-type tombs. Crown princes and their wives were interred in won-type tombs.
Other members of the royal family were interred in myo-type tombs.
The royal tombs are scattered over 18 locations, with many of them located as far as 40 kilometers from Seoul. For example, Jangneung is in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, while Yeongneung is in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. Tombs were made for individuals as well as family groups. There are 40 neung-type and 13 won-type tombs, thus creating a total of 53 royal tombs.
Joseon-era royal tombs followed the guidelines outlined in Chinese Confucian texts, such as the Book of Rites (Li Ji) and the Rites of Zhou (Zhou Li). Many factors went into consideration when deciding the location of a tomb, such as the distance from Hanseong (present-day Seoul), the distance in relation to other royal tombs, the accessibility of the location, and Korean traditions of pungsu (geomancy). The tomb construction also took into account traditional burial rituals of Korea and the natural environment.
There now follows a list (in alphabetical order) of the individual (or clusters of) tombs. There are two more royal tombs from the Joseon Dynasty in Kaesong, North Korea, namely Jeneung (제릉) (the tomb of Queen Sinui, first wife of King Taejo) and Huneung (후릉) (the tombs of King Jeongjong and Queen Jeongan).[3]
Gwangneung is a pair of tombs in the city of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. The tombs, arranged in a V shape, contain the remains of King Sejo and his wife, Queen Jeonghui. They were built in 1468 and 1483 respectively. Gwangneung is important because changes taking place in the architecture of royal tombs are evident in its construction. Screening rocks were not installed at this tomb. Instead of an outer coffin stone, quicklime was used. Another break from tradition was that the reverential access was not built. Finally, only one T-shaped ritual shrine was built for both burial mounds. This change in tomb architecture came from the last wishes of the king and reflects a new frugal style that influenced later royal tomb construction.
This site is located in the south of Seoul, at the bottom of the southern slope of Daemosan Mountain. Heonneung is a pair of tombs holding the remains of Taejong of Joseon and Queen Wongyeong, while Inneung is a single mound situated two hundred metres to the west and holds the remains of King Sunjo and Queen Sunwon.
There are three locations with Joseon tombs named Jangneung. This particular double tomb is found in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, near the border with Incheon. It holds the remains of Prince Jeongwon (who was posthumously honored as King Wonjong) and Queen Inheon, the parents of King Injo.
Located in the south of Seoul, Jeongneung (not to be confused with its namesake on the southern slopes of Bukhansan Mountain, also in Seoul) is the tomb of King Jungjong, while Seonneung holds the remains of King Seongjong and his third wife, Queen Jeonghyeon. The tombs are in a park, the entrance of which is 340 metres from Seolleung Station.
Located in eastern Seoul, 1 km from each other, Taeneung (태릉) holds the remains of Queen Munjeong, while Gangneung (강릉) is the resting place of her son and daughter-in-law, King Myeongjong and Queen Insun.
^Korea Tourism Organization (July 13, 2011). "Queen Soheon". Plan your trip Korea: Tour courses for international tourists. 길잡이미디어. p. 31. GGKEY:TFU8B87WQG3.
