Suncheon Seonamsa Temple Cheukgan

This is the main latrine building of Seonamsa Temple, standing beside Haecheondang Hall on the path to Daegagam Hermitage, past the Iljumun one-pillar gate and the Beomjongnu bell pavilion. Seonamsa Temple was founded in 529, the seventh year of King Seong of Baekje, when the monk Ado named it Biroam Hermitage; in 875, the fifth year of King Heongang of Unified Silla, State Preceptor Doseon renamed it Seonamsa. It is said that later, during the Goryeo period, State Preceptor Daegak Uicheon enlarged it further, making it into a great monastic complex. The building measures six kan across the front and four kan along the side — a kan being the traditional unit of a bay between pillars — with a gabled (matbae) roof shaped like the Chinese character 人 (person) when seen from the side, fitted with wind boards (pungpan) to block the wind. Its floor plan is shaped like the Chinese character 丁, and it is entered from the north. On entering, the men's and women's sections are separated to either side, an arrangement rarely seen in traditional-style toilets. The wind boards at the entrance are a distinctive feature, their lower edges curving slightly upward at the centre and at both ends; this curved treatment gives the entrance a handsome line while also seeming to take account of the head height of those passing through. There is a considerable difference in elevation between Beomjongnu Pavilion and Haecheondang Hall, where this building stands, and the structure makes skilful use of this natural terrain, being cleverly divided into upper and lower levels. Its construction is sturdy and follows traditional methods, and it remains relatively well preserved. It is not known exactly when the latrine of Seonamsa Temple was built, but it appears to have taken its present form by at least 1920. It is the oldest surviving latrine building of this type of plan in South Jeolla Province, and is highly valued for this reason.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Suncheon, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료