Tuesday, December 8, 2009

장승 (Jangseung)



One thing that I've seen a lot of and finally had explained to me is village guardians. They are placed at the edge of villages to ward off evil spirits. Most of them look like North American totem poles, albeit with disturbing faces (and sometimes disturbing genitalia). Sadly, I don't have any pictures, but I've seen statues with disfigured penises, terrifying breasts, and sometimes, both. They're a little more rare, but it's my mission to have photographic proof of their existence before I leave Korea.



I suppose one of the perks of living in the Gangwon province is cultural treasures like these. They don't really exist in modern Korea and its only if you live near rural areas that you get to catch glimpses of Korean's fading past.





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