Jangseung

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Changsung" redirects here. For the county in South Korea sometimes spelled Changsung, see: Jangseong.

Jangseung

Korean name
Hangul:	장승
Hanja:	長承 or 長丞
Revised Romanization:	Jangseung
McCune-Reischauer:	Changsŭng
Alternate names: Beopsu (법수), Beoksu (벅수)

A jangseung or village guardian is a Korean totem pole usually made of wood. Jangseungs were traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark for village boundaries and frighten away demons. They were also worshipped as village tutelary deities. The name jangseung derived from the Taoist idea of immortality (jangsaeng bulsa [장생불사/長生不死]).

In the southern regions of Jeolla, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang, jangseungs are also referred to as beopsu or beoksu, a variation of boksa (복사/卜師), meaning a male shaman.

In the Jeolla region, jangseungs are often made of stone bearing some resemblance to the dolhareubangs of Jeju Island.

[edit] Trivia

In Seoul, 18th century Joseon Dynasty King Jeongjo ordered jangseungs erected in the area near Sangdo to ward off evil spirits when he made a royal procession to Suwon, where his father's tomb was located. Since then, the district has been called Jangseungbaegi and has given its name to the Jangseungbaegi Station on the Seoul Metropolitan Subway's Line 7.