danyang jeokseong (단양적성)
Another Korean Three Kingdoms Era fortifications positioned along the Namhan River fault line between the Goguryeo and Silla Kingdoms. Constructed by Silla between 545-551 A.D., Danyang Jeokseong would continue in service as a government administrative center through the Goryeo Period (918-1392). Only the northern wall sections and gate remain intact, nonetheless, its enough to give an idea of this small, though nicely placed, fortress.
Danyang Jeokseong’s eastern wall is visible from the parking lot as well as from the Danyang expressway rest stop nearby.
Sections of the wall appear through the foliage and appear consistent with Silla construction seen elsewhere throughout the Namhan River Valley.
An interesting feature of this fortress is a stone memorial erected between 545 and 550 A.D. Called the Jeokseongbi, this memorial stone was erected on the orders of the Silla General who seized the Jeokseong region from Goguryeo. The writing offers early evidence of military information operations in that it praises the actions of a local man named Yaicha—formerly a subject of Goguryeo—in the cause of Silla’s conquest, and promises future rewards to anyone who assists the Kingdom of Silla in the future.
The reconstructed section of the wall and gate as well as the incredible scenery evident everywhere in Eastern Chungcheong Province.
A view from the gate looking west to where the wall section disappears into the overgrowth.
Looking out through the Northern Gate into the mountains and a second trail-head leading up to the fortress.
The northeastern wall section as it descends back toward the parking lot from the gate.
A completely rebuilt section of the wall is visible in the lighter stone seen here. Legend says the space between the wall and inner high ground was widened and flattened to allow the riding of horses within the fortress walls, though when this might have happened is unclear. As at Ondal Sanseong, the raised spine running lengthwise down the middle of the fortress would have provided an excellent platform from which to loose arrows at an attacker beyond the wall.
Most of the wall sections at Danyang Jeokseong look like this at best, long-since collapsed and overgrown.
The inner embankment across the flattened area would have provided nice second layer of defense within the fortress for anyone breaching the wall below, by far the least steep approach to the fortress. The Jeokseongbi is visible atop that inner embankment.