Village Shrine of Samdeok-ri

A village shrine (dangje) is a place where a community's religious rites are performed, one of the sacred precincts strictly set apart from everyday human life. The Village Shrine of Samdeok-ri is spread widely across Janggunbong Peak and the entrance to the village, and consists of shrine buildings enshrining deities and of sacred objects worshipped as the dwelling places of several gods. Within the Janggundang shrine, the painting of the General deity, the larger of two wooden horses, and the stone guardian post at the entrance to Wonhang village are designated as National Folklore Heritage. In addition, the Cheonjedang shrine, about ten sacred trees, and two further pairs of stone guardian posts also belong to this village ritual complex. The Janggundang and Cheonjedang shrines, sited at the summit of Janggunbong Peak, are small, modest buildings enshrining the General deity and the Heavenly deity respectively. The painting of the General deity hung inside the Janggundang depicts, with striking presence, a general clad in armour and helmet. In front of it stand a pair of wooden horses side by side: the larger was newly made around 1940 after the original iron horse was stolen, while the smaller was donated by a Japanese resident who had lived nearby. Guardian posts stand in male-female pairs at the entrances to Daecheong, Gwanyu and Wonhang villages. Only the pair at Gwanyu is made of wood; the rest are made of stone. The communal village rite of Wonhang village begins in the small hours of New Year's Day and continues over several days. The village jointly raises the ritual expenses and prepares food with great care. A representative chosen by the village serves as officiant, purifying body and mind before presiding over the rites. The Heavenly rite is held at the Cheonjedang, followed by rites to the General deity and the Dragon Horse deity at the Janggundang, and then a rite to minor spirits at a rock on the mountainside. Meanwhile each household holds its own ancestral rite before performing a rite at the guardian posts. Afterwards a rite is held at the sacred site of Wonhang village, and a further rite is performed to pray for safety at sea, before the whole village joins in a traditional percussion-and-dance performance that brings the communal rite to a close. The communal rite of Wonhang village is significant both as a rite for the whole village and as a means of uniting its members as one community. It is also valuable material for understanding folk belief and village religion, since the rite, in which all villagers take part, has been well preserved alongside a diverse array of sacred objects of worship. Note on designation name change (18 February 2005): under the plan to revise National Folklore Heritage designation names, this was renamed from "Samdeok-ri Village Ritual Shrine" to "Village Shrine of Samdeok-ri."

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Tongyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산