Stone Lanterns in Front of the Tomb of Bak Jung-son, Paju

Jangmyeongdeung are stone lamps in the form of lanterns hung from the ends of the eaves or which stood in the form of columns in the courtyards of public buildings including government offices and Buddhist temples. Such lamps as these were erected in front of tombs in the early Joseon dynasty. These two lamps stand before the graves of Bak Jung-son (1412-1466, posthumous title: Gonghyogong), a high-ranking official of the early Joseon dynasty, and his wife, the Pure and Reverend Lady Moon.

A typical jangmyeongdeung lamp has three basic parts: a pedestal, a body, and a roof. The pedestal is usually an octagonal column. The square body is called a “fire box” and is where the fire is lit. A conical roof tops the body.

These two stone lamps constitute a pair but have different shapes. They are in fact different from jangmyeongdeung lamps from elsewhere, making them both historically and academically important. Unlike the usual square shape, the orifices of the fire box of the lamp in front of Pak’s tomb are shaped like the sun and the moon. The lamp in front of Lady Moon‘s tomb is generally slender.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08