NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION 06/2017
the Cover
The stone is from Pyeongyang Fortress, which used to be the capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo. It is one of several stones inscribed with details such as who supervised which section of the fortress' construction and how long the construction took.
The featured stone contains a total of 27 characters arranged into 7 lines that read as follows: As of March 21st of the year of Giyu (589), Baehwae baekdu, ranked sohyeong at Mulgu, was in charge of the section extending 12-ri to the east from this point (己酉年/三月廿一日/自此下向/東十二里/物苟小兄/俳湏百頭/作節矣).
The stone is invaluable as a primary source for containing the title names of Koguryo government officials, which are written in masterful, vibrant writing that carries a significance of its own in calligraphic history.
Reference: Ewha Womans University Museum.
Hanguk godae sahoe yeonguso. Yeokju Hanguk godae geumseokmun [Annotated Ancient Korean Inscriptions]. Seoul: Garakguk sajeok gaebal yeonguwon, 1992.
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