The Dohwa-nyeo & Bihyeong’rang tale from Samguk Yusa tells the story of a female named Dohwa-rang(桃花娘) who was from the Sa’ryang-bu(沙梁部) area and had a relationship with the Shilla king Jinji-wang, and also the story of a boy named Bihyeong’rang, who was born from Dohwa-rang and the Jinji-wang couple and later became a Gate Guardian(門神) who was revered as a deity which could repel malicious spirits. On the other hand, Shinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungram, in its own introduction to the so-called “Gwigyo(鬼橋, the Ghost Bridge),” elaborated that “this was where Duduri(豆豆里) of Donggyeong(東京, Eastern Capital) originated.” The ‘Wanggasu(王家藪)’ section of the same book also clarified that “this was the place where county residents held services for a Mokrang(木郞), which was also called as Duduri(頭頭里) in folklore. Since the time of Bihyeong(鼻荊), people have most actively revered it.” We can see that Duduri was indeed a Mok’rang(木郞) figure, and was revered quite strongly in the Gyeongju area since the days of Bihyeong’rang.
In the Shilla period, Bihyeong’rang was only sung(帖詞) as the Gate Guardian and believed to be repelling vicious ghosts without ever being provided with a stylized name of its own. Then coming into the Goryeo period, its body(神體) was established in the form of a ‘Mokrang,’ while it was also provided with a name called ‘Duduri.’ The first ever appearance of this Mok’rang-shaped Duduri figure in historical records was during the Military Regime period and particularly the time when Yi Eui-min was in power. When Yi Eui-min, who was from the Gyeongju area, came to the Gaegyeong capital, he brought with him a Duduri figure which was also widely revered by the Gyeongju locals, placed it in his own house, and paid respect to him everyday. This Duduri figure surfaced prominently in several political incidents as objects revered by politicians, but its stature apparently faded away over time, with such politicians’ eventual downfall.
This kind of evolution is a different one from those of other deities, such as Cheo’yong, a Shilla-period figure who was originally the son of a dragon but later became a Gate Guardian himself and was eventually incorporated into the palace banquet culture, or the Mountain god of the Naju area’s Shinsa Shrine, which received dynastic memorial services till the end of the Joseon period. Compared to them, Duduri, the indigenous local deity of the Gyeongju area, seems to have attempted to transfer itself to the central capital via a powerful politician on its way there, but ultimately failed and began to lose its identity as a deity itself because of its attempt to leave its very roots in the first place.