Eobo are ceremonial royal seals that symbolize the royal status or stately authority of the king. They were used at ceremonies for bestowing titles to kings, queens, crown princes or crown princesses and later kept in Jongmyo (宗廟, Royal Ancestral Shrine).

In the Joseon period, bestowal of an honorary title was one of the most important state ceremonies in which the deeds and virtues of a royal individual were praised in his or her lifetime and afterwards. On various occasions titles were presented to the queen, crown prince or crown princess, including the investiture titles for the change of their status (chaekbongmyeong), honorary titles (jonho) or posthumous titles (siho). In the ceremonies, an eobo was presented with a royal book (eochaek) of eulogy detailing the virtue of the royal individual.

The inscription on the face of the seal reads, “Seal of King Gangheon, Ji’ingye’un, Seongmusinmu and Jeong’uigwangdeok, the Great” (康獻 至仁啓運 聖文神武 正義光德 大王之寶), comprising four different posthumous titles for King Taejo. Gangheon(康獻) is the title invested by the emperor of the Ming dynasty; Ji’ingye’un and Seongmusinmu (至仁啓運 聖文神武) was presented by King Taejo’s son, King Taejong, in 1408. This seal was produced in 1683 when King Sukjong added the title Jeong’uigwangdeok (正義光德), meaning  “(your) Righteousness and Luminous Virtue”.