공주 『국동리지』를 통해 본 지명과 민속의 변화

Studies on Changes of Names of Places and their Customs through Kukdongriji of Kongju

As the first town journal of Chungcheong area, it vividly portrays a 19th century real life of a village located in Kongjumok. It was written by Hyeop Jeong who lived in Kukdongriji that was the village of Jeong family from Yongil in 18th century. Names of places recorded as entry words in Kukdongriji are mostly two Chinese characters but they reflect meanings and origins that the words embrace rather accurately. This journal provides useful clues how 19thcentury local culture could be interpreted and restored by including topology, feng shui, legends, important persons, customs, folk religions, plays, and historical sites. This study aims at examining the background on how ‘Kuksadong’ that is the old name of ‘Kungdongri’ was changed into ‘Kukdong’ when the Jeong family from Yongil settled down in this area. Also, it examines the origin of the name of places and customs recorded Kukdongriji by a back-tracking way from the current names. In addition, this study investigates how religious services for the god of the Kuksabong Mountain have been passed down and what is the true nature of golden horses and wooden hens enshrined in the 19th century temple. The original names of ‘Kukdong’ were ‘Kuksadong’ or ‘Kuksadangri’ because of the main mountain called ‘Kuksa’ mount and ‘Kuksa’ temple. However, the Jeong family from Yongil established their own village in this area and since the mid 18th century, the meaning of this place was changed into ‘Kukdong,’ which has the different meaning from the original one. This is because the name of the place of ‘Kuksa’has Buddhist nuances. Because the Jeong family was a leading group of practical ideas of Confucianism, it would be difficult for them to embrace the name, ‘Kuksadong,’ which means “a village where high Buddhist monks live." Therefore, they changed it into ‘Kuksadong’where Confucius scholars lived, and substituted “Kuk" meaning “nation" as “Kuk" meaning a chrysanthemum that is a symbol of fidelity and chastity. Eventually, this created ‘Kukdong’ which has the different meaning from the original one. The religious service for the Kuksabong mountain god recorded in Kukdongriji has changed and passed down to today’s winter festival of Kukdongri since the late Joson Dynasty. It is assumed the golden horse and wooden hens enshrined in this temple were offerings to the mountain gods but they were all destroyed before the twentieth century so their real figure cannot be confirmed any more.