Anguksa (안국사, 安國祠) is a shrine located in Nakseongdae Park,
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. It was built in 1973–74 to commemorate General
Gang Gam-chan
Gang Gam-chan (; 22 December 948 – 9 September 1031) was a medieval Korean government official and military commander during the early days of Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). Even though he was a career scholar and government official, he is best ...
(948–1031). A memorial ceremony is held at the shrine every October to commemorate the general.
Contents of the shrine
The shrine itself was built in a style like that seen in the
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...
period. It has high ceilings, and houses various portraits of General Gang.
Situated by the shrine is a Three Storied Stone Pagoda (designation Seoul Tangible Cultural Property No. 4) of the Goryeo dynasty, also erected to commemorate General Gang at the place of his birth, Nakseongdae. Nakseongdae (낙성대, 落星垈) literally means “place where a star has fallen,” and refers to the legend that a star fell from the sky when General Gang was born. The pagoda was moved from the original site of Gang’s birth (Nakseongdae Yuji, 낙성대유지), and relocated to the Nakseongdae Park area in 1973.
In front of the shrine is a large statue of General Gang on horseback.
Location
Anguksa shrine at Nakseongdae Park can be visited by taking the Green 02 bus from
Nakseongdae Station on
Subway Line 2.
Gallery
File:Anguksa shrine front.jpg, Anguksa shrine, 2013.
File:Angukmun gate.jpg, Angukmun gate, one of two gates leading to the shrine.
File:Angukmun signboard.jpg, Signboard for the Angukmun gate.
File:Anguksa shrine entrance.jpg, Entrance to the shrine area of the park. Angukmun gate sits behind.
File:Anguksa shrine overview.jpg, Overview of shrine and park area from park signage.
File:Gang Gam-chan statue side.jpg, Statue of General Gang on horseback.
File:Gang Gam-chan statue silhouette.jpg, Statue of General Gang in silhouette.
File:Gang Gam-chan statue base.jpg, Inscription at the base of the statue.
File:Gang Gam-chan face.jpg, Two renditions of General Gang's face found at the shrine.
File:Anguksa three storied pagoda.jpg, Three-storied pagoda.
File:Anguksa turtle monument.jpg, Turtle monument at shrine.
File:Anguksa turtle monument rear.jpg, Back of the same monument.
File:Anguksa rock monument.jpg, Rock monument at shrine. The three characters read "Nakseongdae."
See also
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Gang Gam-chan
Gang Gam-chan (; 22 December 948 – 9 September 1031) was a medieval Korean government official and military commander during the early days of Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). Even though he was a career scholar and government official, he is best ...
*
Nakseongdae
Nakseongdae (; ) is a park located in Gwanak, Seoul. It is the birthplace of General Gang Gamchan in Goryeo Dynasty.
Etymology
Nakseongdae means "the place where a star was fallen" in Hanja. The star means general Gang Gamchan, who became the he ...
Citations
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Buildings and structures in Seoul
Buildings and structures completed in 1974