Weeping Pine Tree of Unmunsa Temple, Cheongdo

The weeping pine of Unmunsa Temple has branches that droop down towards the ground, making it a very rare tree. It grows in the front courtyard of Unmunsa Temple and stands 9.4m tall, with a girth of 3.8m at breast height. Because of its low, spreading form, it was once called a bansong (盤松, a low, umbrella-shaped pine whose branches spread sideways from the base), but since this tree's branches spread out in all directions and droop downward from a height of about 3m, it is regarded as a different type of pine from the bansong. Unmunsa Temple is said to have been built 1,400 years ago, and since this pine was already quite large at the time of the Japanese invasions of 1592, it is estimated to be around 400 to 500 years old. According to tradition, it grew from a withered branch broken off and planted by an eminent monk, and the monks tend it with great care, watering its roots with diluted makgeolli (Korean rice wine) each spring and autumn. The pine of Unmunsa Temple, Cheongdo, has a very beautiful form and displays the typical appearance of a weeping pine, giving it great value as biological material as well as cultural value, and it is therefore designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물