신라 수창군(壽昌郡) 호국성(護國城) 팔각등루(八角燈樓)를 세운 이는 이재(異材)이고, 그 등루기(燈樓記)를 찬술한 사람은 최치원(崔致遠)이다. 이재가 건립한 호국성은 달불성(達佛城 ; 달성공원)의 동북쪽, 천왕지(天王池 : 서문시장) 서북쪽에 오늘날 고성동(古城洞)이 위치하고 있는 곳이라는 새로운 사실을 밝혔다. 이재가 팔각등루를 세운 남령(南嶺)은 연구산(連龜山)으로 오늘날 제일중학교 거북바위가 있는 곳이다. 이곳에 이재가 팔각등루를 세운 목적은 나라의 경사를 빌고 전쟁으로 인한 재앙을 물리치기 위함이라고 최치원은 밝히고 있다. 최치원이 지은 팔각등루기가 없었다면 『삼국사기』를 비롯한 정사에 보이지 않는 당시 대구지역의 호국성, 팔각등루, 달불성(達佛城 ; 달성), 불체제(佛體池 ; 사리못), 천왕지(天王池 ; 서문시장), 남령(南嶺 ; 連龜山), 불산(佛山 ; 대덕산) 불좌당(佛佐塘 ; 배자못), 마정계사(摩頂溪寺 ; 송림사), 장산(獐山 ; 경산) 등에 얽힌 여러 역사적 사실을 전혀 살필 길이 없었다. 팔각등루기를 비롯한 사산비명(四山碑銘) 및 그의 시와 문장, 그리고 여타 금석문 속에서 남긴 최치원의 정치이념과 사상은 천년이 지난 오늘 날에도 우리 곁에서 숨 쉬고 있음을 우리민족의 자랑이 아닐 수 없다.
It is Lee Jae (異材) who constructed the Octagonal Lantern-Pavlion (八角燈樓) and Hokukseong(護國城 Castle Protecting the State) in the Suchang- Province(壽昌郡) in the period of Silla(新羅) Dynasty, while Choi Chi-Won (崔致遠) composed Memorials of Octagonal Lantern-Pavlion (八角燈樓記). It has been discovered that Hokukseong, built by Lee Jae, finds itself in Goseong-dong (古城洞), which is located in the northeast to Dalbul Castle (達佛城, today’s Dalseong Park) and northwest to Cheon-wang Pond (天王池, today’s Seomun Market). And the Octagonal Latern-Pavlion (八角燈樓) is found in the South Pass (南嶺 Nam-Reong), located on the Yeon-Gu Mountain (連龜山), the site of which is identified with today’s Turtle Rock neighboring the Jae-Il Midde School. According to Choi Chi-Won, the purpose of building Octagonal Lantern-Pavlion was to have the country blessed and to protect it from the disasters caused by war, In case without the Memorials of Octagonal Lantern-Pavilion written by Choi Chi-won, there would have been no way to localize archaeological sites around Deagu Area, that is to say, Hokukseong, Octagonal Lantern-Pavlion, Dalbulseong, Buddha’s Body Pond (佛體池, called Sari Pond), Cheonwang Pond, South Pass (Nam-Reong), Buddha Mountain (佛山, today’s Daedeog Mountain), Pond Protected by Buddha (佛佐塘, today’s Bae-Ja Pond), Polished-Summit Valley Temple(摩頂溪寺, today’s Song-Lim Temple), Deer Mountain (獐山, today’s Kyung-San), which does not appear in the texts of official history including the Memorials for Three Countries (三國史記). It is a great honor to Korean people to have Choi Chi-Won’s works survived, Memorials of Octagonal Lantern-Pavlion, Four Mountains Monuments (四山碑銘), his poems and verses, and other texts on the monuments, which prove his thoughts having endured through a thousand years to breath still with us today.