Relocation of Royal Tombs and Stone Sculptures in 19th-century Chosŏn

Abstract

<i>Kukchosogoryeŭi</i>, the book of protocols for the late Chosŏn royal court, lists some rituals that have changed since early years of the dynasty. <i>Ch’ŏnjangŭi</i>, the process of relocating tombs is one of them. In late Chosŏn, royal tombs were actively relocated, unlike in early Chosŏn and mostly not in accordance with the dead monarch’s wishes. In the 15<sup>th</sup> century, T’aejo, T’aejong, and Sejong all outlived their queens and were able to prepare their own tombs and the management of the annexed Buddhist temples. In the 16<sup>th</sup> and 17<sup>th</sup> centuries, most relocated tombs were of posthumously honored monarchs, who were the birth parents of reigning monarchs. In contrast, 19<sup>th</sup>-century transfers were directly related to dynastic successions. Tombs that were relocated during the reign of Ch’ŏlchong were those of King Sunjo, Sunjo’s birth mother, and the Crown Prince Hyomyŏng, the son of Sunjo. In even moving some tombs twice, Ch’ŏljong was looking to the precedence of Yŏngjo and Chŏngjo and hoping to beget a son. In the 19<sup>th</sup> century, it was rare for royal tomb sculptures to be newly made and sculptures from original tombs were reused instead. Although some were newly made, they generally do not hold up to the quality of the sculptures of the past and betray the falling standards of art at the royal court in late Chosŏn.