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The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA;Administrator: Choi EungChon) and the Overseas Korean Cultural HeritageFoundation (OKCHF; Secretary General: Kim Kae Sik) will soon unveil the EpitaphPlaques for Kim Gyeong-on and the Epitaph Plaques for Yi Seong-ripthat were donated by a private collectorbasedin Japan. The plaques will be presented to the press at the Korean Studies Institute (Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province) on September 28at 11 a.m, followed by a donation and entrustment ceremony. 

*Epitaph Plaques for Kim Gyeong-on – Whiteporcelain with cobalt-blue underglaze calligraphy / 1755, Joseon Dynasty /Dimensions: approx. 20×15.3×1.5㎝ (each) / complete set of five tablets

*Epitaph Plaques for Yi Seong-rip – Whiteporcelain with iron-brown underglaze calligraphy / Late 17^thCentury, Joseon Dynasty / Dimensions: approx. 22.8×18×1.6㎝ (each)/ complete set of two tablets

Epitaphtablets are stone or ceramic plaques that record details of the life of adeceased person, including their achievements, character, and family relations.They possess significance for the study of not only the life history ofdeceased individual, but also the history of the times. The Epitaph Plaquesfor Kim Gyeong-on is a set that was produced in 1755 to commemorate KimGyeong-on (sobriquet: Dansa; 1692–1734). A descendant of the Uiseong Kim clanin Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Kim was the grandson of Kim Seong-gu, who hadserved as governor (gwanchalsa) of Gangwon-do Province. In 1726 (thesecond year of the reign of King Yeongjo), Kim Gyeong-on was the top scorer inthe Classics and Literary Licentiate Examination. He was subsequently appointedas a tomb keeper for the Geonwolleung Royal Tomb, but he soon resigned andreturned to his hometown of Yean where he devoted himself to fostering youngstudents.

The Epitaph Plaques for Kim Gyeong-on is a complete set comprised of five tablets madefrom white clay and painted with text in regular script using cobalt-blueunderglaze. This set of epitaph plaques has great historical value in that itclearly indicates that white porcelain epitaph plaques with cobalt-blueunderglaze were produced for private individuals at the official court kilns (bunwon).

The Epitaph Plaques for Yi Seong-rip commemorate Yi Seong-rip(1595–1662), who served as a military official during the Joseon Dynasty.According to the text on the plaques, Yi was a descendant of the Gyeongju Yiclan, was buried in Cheolsan, Pyongan-do Province, and was active in areas thatare currently part of North Korea. The epitaph plaques are comprised of a setof two tablets, and though the content is more concise than typical examples,they are important materials for examining the lives of the people of the era,including ties established through marriage and the funerary rites for militaryofficials who were active on the frontiers of Korea during the late seventeenthcentury. The plaques are characterized by the use of incision and iron-brownunderglaze. They also feature holes that are presumed to have been intended forplacing the tablets face to face and tying them together. These epitaph plaquesare highly valuable for their rarity and the uniqueness of their productionmethod.

The donation process began when the collector contacted the OKCHF toinform the organization of his possession of the plaques and to express hisintention to donate them and have them returned to Korea. The exact period inwhich the two sets of epitaph plaques were taken out of the country are unknown,but they recently entered the Japanese market for cultural heritage items. Thecollector discovered and safeguarded them, but expressed his intention todonate them without any compensation or preconditions, stating his belief that“…epitaph plaques are relics that should rightfully be returned to Korea.” Uponconfirming the intentions of the collector, the OKCHF contacted the originalowners, identified as the Uiseong Kim clan and Gyeongju Yi clan based on thetext on the plaques. They were informed of the fact that the plaques had beenfound in Japan, told of the collector’s desire to donate them, and engaged indiscussions on plans for their utilization in South Korea.

The clans welcomed with gratitude the collector’s desire to donate them,and they gladly decided to entrust all matters regarding the epitaph plaquesfrom their return to Korea to their future safeguarding and utilization. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage ResearchInstitution (Director: Shon InRak), which is conducting projectson Korean cultural heritage located abroad with a basis in Gyeongsangbuk-doProvince, actively cooperated in the overall process of the return andentrustment of the epitaph plaques. The epitaph plaques will be entrusted to the Korean Studies Institute (President: Chong JongSup) and will be managed andutilized as important relics showing an aspect of the history of the JoseonDynasty. Established in 1995 with the aim of systematically collecting,managing, and utilizing materials on Korean studies, the Korean StudiesInstitute is a research institution specialized in written cultural heritage.

The donation of the two sets of epitaph plaques is all the more meaningfulin that it was realized through the good faith of the collector, thedetermination of the two clans to willingly entrust to the public their familytreasures, and the close cooperation between institutions. The CHA and OKCHFplan to continue their strenuous efforts on behalf of the active search for,repatriation, protection, and utilization of important Korean cultural heritageobjects held in overseas collections.