THE STORY OF THE GRAVE OF MR. YU

The following was translated from the original by Hong Key Yoon, as part of a study into the representation of cultural attitudes to Korean grave geomancy. 

Long ago, in a certain country in Hamkyong Province, there lived a strong man, Mr. Yu. One day while passing through a mountain trail, he came across a tiger which was having trouble with its mouth. Mr. Yu realised that the tiger was asking for his help. Upon examining the tiger’s mouth, he found a hair-pin and removed it. 

Years after, when Mr. Yu died, this tiger appeared before the funeral procession and led the funeral cart to an auspicious place. Mr. Yu’s sons buried the corpse of their father at the spot which the tiger indicated. After that, Mr. Yu’s descendants became high government officers.

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OF WIND AND WATER / a question of site

CONCENTRIC CIRCLES / Geomantic Map of Seoul

According to the Ts’ang-shu, which is known as Kuo P’u’s writing, when the spirit of Yin-Yang flows under the ground, it becomes a vital energy. An auspicious place is located where a vital energy stays, and people believed that if a man was buried in such a place, his descendants would recieve good fortune from the grave. The reason for this is explained in Ts’angshu. Parents are the main bodies of their children (like the trunk of a tree with branches) and when they die and are then influenced by a vital energy, their remaining bodies in the living world (their descendants) are also influenced by this energy. So when parents are laid to rest in an auspicious place, their descendants enjoy the benefits of such a place because they are the branches of the dead parents.

The basic principles of geomancy are simple enough. As put forward in Ts’ang-shu, they are first, the acquisition of water and the the storing of wind. This means that an auspicious place is mainly determined by the location of surrounding mountains which store the wind and by nearby watercourses.

The above text is an extract from ‘An Analysis of Korean Geomancy Tales’ by Hong-Key Yoon, and gives an excellent introduction into the basic themes of Korean grave geomancy. Though Professor Yoon postulates that geomancy originated in the placement of habitation for the living, over time it was the placement of habitation for the deceased that became heavily associated with Korean geomancy. Such importance was placed on finding an auspicious site to bury one’s relatives that fights would break out, the dead would be illegally removed, and the offending bereaved, severely punished.

However, whether Koreans today rigorously follow the principles of geomancy is not the issue. Instead it is the fact that consideration of site was such an importance to the culture throughout history. This cultural geography is entirely based on a following of geomantic principles. Though  one may not need to consider the azure dragon to the east or the white tiger to the west, but the place of burial should be comfortable, sunny, and have a nice calm view - not for the bereaved, but for the buried.

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