우암 송시열선생의 학문과 사상이 잘 나타난 자료 중 하나로는 우암선생이 찬서한 금석문을 들 수 있다. 조선시대 주자의 성리학이 일반화 되어가고 주자가례의 실천으로 묘갈 건립이 차츰 활발해지고 있었다. 그 시기에 우암선생이 묘갈 찬서에 적극적으로 참여하여 송자대전에 수록된 비갈의 수만도 500여기에 달하고 있다. 이 시기에 많은 수요에 부응하여 학문과 덕망이 높은 우암선생에게 비갈문을 받으려는 사대부들의 청탁은 자연히 많아질 수밖에 없었다. 우암선생이 찬서한 금석문 중에 송자대전에 수록된 비 중, 신도비가 97기이고 묘갈과 묘표가 354기나 된다. 송자대전에 누락된 비갈로 20여기를 찾아 볼 수 있다. 이들 비갈은 주로 남한의 각 지방에 분포 되어 있고 북한에도 다소 분포되어 있다. 신도비와 묘갈은 대부분이 건립 되었으나 묘표의 상당 수가는 아직까지 세워지지 못하고 있다. 세워지지 못한 비갈은 갑자기 집안이 몰락했거나 벼슬이 낮고 가세가 어려웠거나, 후손이 다른 사상으로 전환된 경우이다. 조선시대 비갈의 건립이 가장 활발했던 시기인 1650년경을 전후하여 지금까지 중국식의 양식과 형식에서 우리 고유의 조선식 비갈 형식이 정립되기 시작하였다. 신도비에서 쓰던 이수와 귀부를, 이수 대신 가첨석을, 귀부 대신 농대석을 사용하기 시작하였다. 묘갈도 원두형에서 가첨석을 쓰기 시작하여 갈에서 비의 형식으로 정형화 되어 갔다. 비문도 이수에 두전을 쓰던 것을 가첨석을 쓰기 때문에 비신의 이마부분에 전액을 쓰는 조선식으로 바뀌었다. 묘표와 묘갈을 구분하여 세우던 것을 가첨석을 쓰면서부터 혼용형으로 바뀌어 갔다. 우암선생의 금석문 중 신도비는 60% 탑본이 되어 있고 묘갈과 묘표는 20% 밖에 탑본이 되어 있지 않다. 비갈의 소재지가 대부분 알려져 있지 않아 수립 여부와 소재지를 파악하는 일이 우선적으로 이루어져야 하겠다.

One of the most primary source to study the thought and life of Song Si-Yeol(Woo-Am) is epigraph which Uam wrote or script by himself. As the generalization of Neo-Confucianism, the literati of Joseon Dynasty tried to practice the Family Ritual written by Chushi, a Philosopher of Sung China. In this course the epigraph such as gravestone prevailed. Uam wrote many works of gravestone and Song Jun-Gil(DongChun), his favorite friend, script most of them. In his collective work, the Great Writings of Master Song, there remained about 500 items. Because of the virtue and scholarship of Uam, many politician and scholars wanted to get memorial writings to their ancestors. Among them, sin-do-bi which was the gravestone for the high-grade(over 2-Poom) officer were 97 items and the other were general gravestones. About 20 items were opted in the Great Writings. These figures were mainly scattered in South Korea and a few in North Korea. While most of sin-do-bi and myo-gal(a gravestone without roof) were carved and established, myo-bi(a small gravestone) were not. The reason were the fall of the family, the economic difficulty of the family, and the change of party or school of the descendant. Around 1650 AD, the activated age of gravestone, the style and form were changed from the chinese one to the unique. In the case of sin-do-bi, isu(dragon-like carving) was changed into ga-chum-suk(roof-like carving), Gui-bo(turtle-like carving) into Nong-dae-suk(foundation stone). The script and carving of letters were also changed. The main title were written at the head of body of the stone Instead of isu. And the identification of myo-gal and myo-bi became ambiguous by using ga-chum-suk. Unfortunately, only 60% of the sin-do-bi and 20% of the myo-gal and myo-bi of Uam were recaptured in paper. The location of most of the myo-gal and myo-bi were not informed. That is the reason why we should start the fundamental research and survey urgently.

One of the most primary source to study the thought and life of Song Si-Yeol(Woo-Am) is epigraph which Uam wrote or script by himself. As the generalization of Neo-Confucianism, the literati of Joseon Dynasty tried to practice the Family Ritual written by Chushi, a Philosopher of Sung China. In this course the epigraph such as gravestone prevailed. Uam wrote many works of gravestone and Song Jun-Gil(DongChun), his favorite friend, script most of them. In his collective work, the Great Writings of Master Song, there remained about 500 items. Because of the virtue and scholarship of Uam, many politician and scholars wanted to get memorial writings to their ancestors. Among them, sin-do-bi which was the gravestone for the high-grade(over 2-Poom) officer were 97 items and the other were general gravestones. About 20 items were opted in the Great Writings. These figures were mainly scattered in South Korea and a few in North Korea. While most of sin-do-bi and myo-gal(a gravestone without roof) were carved and established, myo-bi(a small gravestone) were not. The reason were the fall of the family, the economic difficulty of the family, and the change of party or school of the descendant. Around 1650 AD, the activated age of gravestone, the style and form were changed from the chinese one to the unique. In the case of sin-do-bi, isu(dragon-like carving) was changed into ga-chum-suk(roof-like carving), Gui-bo(turtle-like carving) into Nong-dae-suk(foundation stone). The script and carving of letters were also changed. The main title were written at the head of body of the stone Instead of isu. And the identification of myo-gal and myo-bi became ambiguous by using ga-chum-suk. Unfortunately, only 60% of the sin-do-bi and 20% of the myo-gal and myo-bi of Uam were recaptured in paper. The location of most of the myo-gal and myo-bi were not informed. That is the reason why we should start the fundamental research and survey urgently.

Woo-Am, Epigraph, MyoGal, MyoPyo, Location