조선 고종 ＜북묘묘정비(北廟廟庭碑)＞ 주석과 번역(1)

Abstract

During the Joseon Dynasty, there were shrines for GuanYu(關羽) in the eastern, western, southern, and northern place of Hanyang(漢陽) -- currently Seoul, Korea. Among them, Nammyo(南廟) -- Southern shrine was built outside Namdaemun(南大門) in 1598. Dongmyo(東廟) -- Eastern shrine was built outside Dongdaemun(東大門) in 1600. Bukmyo(北廟) -- Northern shrine was built in Myeongryun-dong in 1883. And Sunguimyo(崇義廟) -- Western shrine was built outside Seodaemun(西大門) in 1902. The Northern Shrine Memorial Stone for GuanYu (＜北廟廟庭碑＞) is the one that recorded the purpose and process of building the Northern Shrine. It was written and built in 1887 by King Gojong, the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty. The inscription on the Northern Shrine Memorial Stone for GuanYu shows the following facts. First, King Gojong believed that GuanYu's spirit prevented the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. This led him to believe a superstition that GuanYu's spirit would again deter the Japanese invasion of Joseon towards the end of Joseon Dynasty. Second, King Gojong and Min Yeong-hwan(閔泳煥)'s perception of GuanYu made them judge the Imo Military Revolution(壬午軍亂) as a rebellious riot, and Gapsin Coup(甲申政變) as a coup d'etat by pro-Japanese politicians. Third, King Gojong's familiarity with GuanYu caused him a biased recognition and dependency on Qing(淸) China. Fourth, it was not the History of the Three Kingdoms(三國志) that led Gojong to have a conservative perception centered on China, but the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms(三國演義), which was adapted by Mao Zong-gang(毛宗崗). Fifth, King Gojong attempted to promote loyalty to the royal family of Joseon among the Joseon people by establishing Bukmyo(北廟) -- Northern shrine where people gave memorial service for the spirit of GuanYu. This paper is meaningful in that it was first translated with a lot of annotations on Northern Shrine Memorial Stone for GuanYu, and finds some errors in the contents of the inscription through a literature review.