Sujongsa Temple in Ungilsan Mountain, Namyangju

According to tradition, the origin of Sujongsa Temple dates to 1458, the fourth year of King Sejo, when the king, returning from a visit to Geumgangsan Mountain, spent a night at Isudu (present-day Yangsuri). Woken in the middle of the night by an unexpected bell sound, the king investigated the area and found a rock cave nearby containing eighteen nahan (arhats, enlightened disciples of the Buddha); the sound of water dripping inside the cave rang out like a bell. He therefore had a temple built on the site and named it Sujongsa, meaning "water bell temple." Sujongsa Temple on Ungilsan Mountain commands a renowned view over Dumulmeori (Yangsuri), where the Bukhangang and Namhangang rivers converge, giving it high value as a natural scenic viewpoint. Since ancient times many poets and literati have recorded its scenery in poetry, calligraphy and painting, and Seo Geo-jeong (1420–1488) called Sujongsa "the temple with the finest view in the eastern realm." Throughout the year the fresh green foliage of spring and summer, the autumn colours and the winter snowscape are all wondrously beautiful, and at any hour, whether sunrise, sunset or a sea of clouds, the view is exceptionally fine, giving this viewpoint great scenic value. Jeong Yak-yong loved the time he spent at Sujongsa throughout his life so much that he compared its pleasure to the "three joys of the noble scholar," giving the temple high historical and cultural value. It is also the place where Choui Seonsa, known as the "tea immortal," visited Jeong Yak-yong and drank tea while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Hangang River, giving the temple a deep connection with tea culture; today Sujongsa carries on this tradition with a tea room called Samjeongheon, and it is well known as a temple symbolising Korean tea culture. Among the paintings in Gyeomjae Jeong Seon's (1676–1759) Gyeonggyo myeongseungcheop — an album of thirty-three paintings depicting the scenery along the Bukhangang and Namhangang rivers and the views of the Hangang River and of Inwangsan and Bugaksan mountains in Seoul — the painting Dokbaektan depicts the scenery of present-day Yangsuri, where the Namhangang and Bukhangang rivers meet; it allows a comparison between the scenic view of that era and today, giving it high artistic value.

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Where it is

Region

Namyangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Scenic Site · 명승