Jangsan Magodang Hall Cheonjedan Altar

According to an old document from Donghwa-myeon, Dongnae-bu, titled Sansindang Junggeon Moyeonmun (a fund-raising appeal for the rebuilding of the mountain spirit shrine), Magodang has existed since the Joseon period and was rebuilt in 1924; it bears a signboard reading 'Sangsan Magodang'. To the right of the shrine building, natural stones are stacked neatly to form a mountain-spirit altar, giving a solemn and mysterious atmosphere. Directly below the shrine, a spring of rock water flows without ever drying up and is used as the pure water (jeonghwasu) offered at the altar, and beside it stands an annex building where ritual vessels and offerings are stored. Enclosing all of this is a tall stone wall running around all four sides, built from the rough boulders of the scree slopes at the foot of Jangsan Mountain, the site's guardian mountain. Its natural, unforced composition resembles a cairn-like tower holding an earnest wish, and it shows outstanding compositional beauty; it is said never once to have collapsed in wind and rain over the long years. This can be called a vivid example of the Korean view of nature and architecture, one that restrains artifice and defers to nature. There is no separate record for Cheonjedan, but since the rite performed at Magodang is said to begin with an offering at Cheonjedan before moving on to Magodang, its history is considered to be the same as that of Magodang. A stone altar was built of natural flat rock, and three standing stones were erected to form the altar, creating a sacred and solemn atmosphere. The large rock behind the altar serves as a back wall, with natural stones stacked on either side to form a stone wall, giving it a rustic charm. It is rare for a ritual ground of Korea's age-old indigenous folk belief to be preserved in its original form at a clean, well-kept spot on a mountainside, and it is equally uncommon for a village shrine and a heaven-worship altar to be set up together within a single precinct.

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Where it is

Region

Haeundae-gu, Busan

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산