Master Samyeong Birthplace Site, Miryang

This is the birthplace of Master Samyeong (1544–1610), an eminent monk of the mid-Joseon period. He was born in Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do, with the childhood name Eunggyu; his sobriquet was Samyeongdang. He was born in 1535, the thirtieth year of King Jungjong, into the Pungcheon Im clan, left home to become a monk at the age of thirteen, and became a disciple of Sinmuk at Jikjisa Temple. While practising austerities at Geumgangsan Mountain, he learned that the Japanese invasions of Korea had broken out in 1592, the twenty-fifth year of King Seonjo, and he gathered monk soldiers to fight as a righteous-army commander. In 1593 he took part in the battle to retake Pyongyang Fortress, in which Ming reinforcement troops played the leading role, and distinguished himself. King Seonjo greatly recognised his achievements, granting him the official rank of Gaseon-daebu Dongjijungchubusa, and also appointed him as an envoy to negotiate peace with Japan. He later fell ill and recuperated at Haeinsa Temple, and in 1610, the second year of King Gwanghaegun, he passed away after delivering his final sermon. His writings include the seven-volume Samyeongdang daesajip (Collected Works of Master Samyeong) and the one-volume Buncheung seonallok, an account of his service during the war. Master Samyeong spent his childhood here, and many anecdotes about him are still told locally. For a long time it was unclear which of two sites, No. 399 or No. 400 Gori-ri, was the actual location of his birth house. Experts now believe No. 399 to be the site, since a surface survey there turned up fragments of roof tiles and household items, together with traces of a building and a surrounding wall. Records of his childhood also suggest a pond stood close to the house, which fits well with the No. 399 site. A rock on which Master Samyeong is said to have rested whenever he returned to his hometown still remains, offering a glimpse of his footsteps and a place to reflect on his life.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Miryang, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물