Pohang Naengsu-ri Silla Stele

In the yard of the Singwang-myeon community centre in Pohang, a small pavilion shelters a squat, block-shaped stone, shorter than a person. This is the Pohang Naengsu-ri Silla Stele, found by a local farmer while ploughing his field in 1989 and now a National Treasure, one of the oldest Silla inscriptions known. Its subject is surprisingly down-to-earth: a ruling on one man's property and inheritance dispute.

A 1,500-year-old court ruling

The text confirms that a man named Jeolgeori may keep his wealth, that after his death it will pass to his younger brother's side, and that no one else may challenge the arrangement. The decision was reached jointly by seven representatives of Silla's divisions, including King Jijeung himself, showing a period when the king governed together with the aristocracy rather than ruling alone. It also mentions the sacrifice of an ox in a ritual addressed to heaven, a glimpse of contemporary custom.

Based on the cyclical year gyemi and the title "Jidoro Galmunwang" in the text, most scholars date it to 503 (the 4th year of King Jijeung), although 443 has also been proposed. When found it was considered the oldest Silla stele, but it lost that title in 2009 when the Jungseong-ri Silla Stele was discovered, also in Pohang. It was designated a National Treasure in 1991.

231 characters on three faces

The stele is an unworked, roughly square boulder, wider at the base and narrowing towards the top. Unusually, it is inscribed on three faces – front, back and top: 12 lines and 152 characters on the front, 7 lines and 59 characters on the back, and 5 lines and 20 characters on top, 231 characters in all. The inscription is so little worn that it can be read with the naked eye. The script is regular style with a strong flavour of clerical script, and both the shape of the stone and the writing closely resemble the Chungju Goguryeo Stele and the Uljin Bongpyeong-ri Silla Stele. As a state-erected record of a royal decision, it shows the early workings of Silla's legal system and is a key source for Silla history and epigraphy. Look through the pavilion's lattice for the lines of text on the top and sides as well.

Another stele found nearby

In 2009 the Pohang Jungseong-ri Silla Stele turned up in Heunghae-eup, about 8.7 km east of here. A local resident had taken a stone from a road-building site to use as a plant-pot stand, and rain washed off the soil to reveal the characters. Dated to 501 or 441, it also deals with a property dispute involving local people, so reading the two steles together shows how Silla handled disputes in the provinces. It was designated a National Treasure in 2015.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the stele stands in a pavilion in the community centre's yard and is viewed from outside through the lattice; there is no fee.
• Time needed: 10–20 minutes is enough.
• Getting there: the address is 13 Toseong-gil 37beon-gil, Singwang-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang. It lies about 15 km northwest of central Pohang, so a car is the easiest option.
• Combine with: a replica is on display at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. Together with the Uljin Bongpyeong-ri Stele it shows early Silla law and government, so the two make an interesting pair.