Stele of Royal Preceptor Hyedeok at Geumsansa Temple, Gimje

This stele was erected to honor the life and achievements of Sohyeon (1038-1096), an eminent Buddhist monk of the Goryeo period (918-1392).

Sohyeon was a son of Yi Ja-yeon (1003-1061), a man of political power who served as prime minister of the Goryeo dynasty, Sohyeon became a monk in 1048 and, passed the state examination for monks in 1061. In 1079, he became the head monk of Geumsansa Temple and led the expansion of the temple in terms of both physical scale and cultural influence. It was at this time the temple reached its greatest size. After his death, King Sukjong (r. 1054-1105) bestowed him with the posthumous title of royal preceptor and named him Hyedeok, meaning “wise and virtuous.”

This stele was erected in 1111. It consists of a body stone and tortoise-shaped pedestal with a dragon head. It should have a capstone, but it is missing. The epitaph carved on the front side commemorates Sohyeon’s life and achievements, and the inscription on the back records the names of his followers, which amount to nearly 1,800.

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