Jungakdan Shrine in Gyeryongsan Mountain, Gongju

Jungakdan is a Joseon-period structure built by the state for offering rites to the spirit of Gyeryongsan Mountain. Gyeryongsan has long been regarded as a sacred mountain, and in the Silla period rites were held there as one of the Five Sacred Peaks. In the Joseon period, altars were established with Myohyangsan Mountain in the north as the Upper Peak, Jirisan Mountain in the south as the Lower Peak, and Gyeryongsan Mountain in the centre as the Middle Peak, and rites were held there to the mountain spirits. It is said that, after the mountain spirit appeared in a dream to State Preceptor Muhak, the first rite was held in 1394, the third year of King Taejo, and the altar was abolished in 1651, the second year of King Hyojong. It was later rebuilt in 1879, the sixteenth year of Emperor Gojong, on the order of Empress Myeongseong, and named Jungakdan. On a hillside, along a northeast–southwest axis, the outer gate building, the inner gate building, and Jungakdan itself are arranged symmetrically in a straight line, enclosed by a wall. The layout of the buildings and the composition of the space strictly apply the formal conventions and techniques of danmyo (altar-shrine) architecture. The horizontal plaque of Jungakdan is said to have been written by Yi Jung-ha (1846–1917), a civil official of the late Joseon period. An altar stands at the rear centre of the interior, with a wooden box placed upon it in which the spirit tablet and portrait of the Gyeryongsan mountain spirit are enshrined. It stands on a high stone platform 1.5m tall, three bays across the front and three bays along the side, with a hip-and-gable roof that, seen from the side, forms the shape of the character 八 (eight). It is built in the dapo style, in which decorative bracket structures supporting the eaves are placed not only atop the columns but also between them, carved and decorated in the manner characteristic of the late Joseon period to give a splendid, dignified appearance. It is also distinctive in that seven sculpted figures are placed on each roof, a technique otherwise used on palace halls and the gate towers of palaces or a capital's walls. The Upper Peak Altar and Lower Peak Altar of the Joseon period have disappeared, so nothing is known of their remains, but Jungakdan is well preserved and holds historical significance as the only surviving site where the state held rites to a mountain spirit.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물