Guksadang Shrine of Inwangsan Mountain

Located at the foot of Inwangsan Mountain, Guksadang Shrine is a shrine house enshrining various deities worshipped in shamanism; it belongs to the category of "gutdang," shrines built deep in the mountains, far from human dwellings, to allow noisy shamanic rites (gut) to be held freely. It originally stood atop Namsan Mountain, but when the Japanese built the Chosen Jingu (Joseon Shrine) on Namsan and forced its relocation, the building was dismantled and moved to its present site at the foot of Inwangsan Mountain, where it was restored to its original form. Inwangsan Mountain was chosen because, according to feng shui, it is an auspicious site, and because it was the place where King Taejo of Joseon and the monk Muhak — who are now worshipped as shamanic deities — once prayed. The building measures three bays across the front and two bays along the side; the two bays at either end were newly built after the relocation. Each bay has a hinged door of four panels, and the roof is a gabled maetbae roof, which forms the shape of the character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. Paintings of shamanic deities (musindo) hang on three interior walls, and the wooden floor serves as the space where ritual tables are set out and gut rites are performed. Its structure is simpler than that of an ordinary building, but its scale is larger. Guksadang Shrine, newly built around 1925, faithfully restored the original shrine, which had been built using the architectural techniques of the reigns of King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo. Unusually, its interior main beam is arched; overall the structure is simple yet the timber joinery is sturdy, showing the skill of the carpenters. Compared with other shrine houses, Guksadang Shrine of Inwangsan Mountain is more solidly built and houses a large number of shamanic deity paintings.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산