Announcement of Intangible Cultural Heritage Designation for Gohung Madong Maehon Gut Ceremony

Interest and Affection Needed for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Goheung

[Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo] Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Song Gwi-geun) announced that the ‘Goheung Madong Maehon Gut’ has been preliminarily designated as an intangible cultural asset of Jeollanam-do.

Jeollanam-do held a Cultural Heritage Committee meeting on December 23 and judged that the Goheung Madong Maehon Gut has sufficient value to be designated as a provincial intangible cultural asset, thus issuing a preliminary notice. The ‘Goheung Madong Maehon Gut’ is a Maegu ritual passed down in Madong Village, Maryun-ri, Donggang-myeon.

After a 30-day preliminary notice period, the cultural heritage designation will be finalized around March 2022 through a review by the Cultural Heritage Committee, and it is expected that this will become the fifth intangible cultural asset in Goheung-gun.

The Madong Maehon Gut has been passed down centered on the first-generation Sangsoe Park Soon-dol, second-generation Kim Gye-ok, third-generation Jo Soon-myeong, fourth-generation Song Bong-gi, fifth-generation Song Gwon-seop (active: 1992?2017), and recently the sixth-generation Sangsoe Hwang Jae-jung (active: 2018?present).

Records of the Madong Maehon Gut exist in the 1911 document "Byeolsinje Uijeol" and the 1965 "Gyojagyean," among others, and more than a hundred-year-old percussion instruments such as 13 Bukku drums and Jeonrip are well preserved, which highly evaluates the well-maintained tradition of the Maehon Gut.

The composition of the Madong Maehon Gut can be broadly divided into Deuldangsan Gut, Madangbalgi, Pangut, and Mungut. The Madong Maehon Gut Preservation Society was early organized by village residents and local figures, continuing transmission activities with a clear lineage, and the village shows unity centered around the preservation society.

Also, the Dangsan tree protecting Madong Village was planted by Song Gan, the founding ancestor of Goheung, whose posthumous name is ‘Chunggwang (忠剛)’, so it is called ‘Chunggwangmok (忠剛木)’ or ‘Sejesu (Three Festival Tree)’. The Dangsan Festival had prohibited outsiders from entering but has been open since 2019, which helped publicize the Madong Maegu ritual.

Accordingly, the committee opined that the Madong Maehon Gut has sufficient value to be designated as an intangible cultural asset for transmission and preservation, and the designation of holders of the Madong Maehon Gut is expected to be reconsidered in the future.

Meanwhile, the intangible cultural assets designated by Jeollanam-do in Goheung-gun include Wolpo Nongak (No. 27), Hanjeokdeul Nolae (No. 30), Joseonjang (No. 50), and Honmaji Gut (No. 58). In Maryun-ri, Donggang-myeon, Goheung-gun, where the Madong Maehon Gut is located, there are Jeollanam-do designated cultural heritage monuments No. 110 Song Clan Ssangchung Jeongnyeo and No. 111 Shin Yeoryang General Jeongnyeo.

A county official said, “The Madong Maehon Gut is a unique case of folk belief led by Confucian scholars and promoted in Seodang, their study space, and academic interest and affection for Goheung’s intangible cultural assets are needed.”

Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo sevenshim@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.