The Five Mountains of Korea () are five renowned mountains in
Korean culture
The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...
.
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
era
Kumgang-san, Myohyang-san, and Paektu-san are under
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n control, while Samgak-san (renamed Bukhan-san) and Jiri-san are under
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 ...
n control.
* Center -
Samgak-san (삼각산, 三角山)
* North -
Paektu-san (백두산, 白頭山)
* South -
Jiri-san (지리산, 智異山)
* East -
Kumgang-san
Mount Kumgang () or the Kumgang Mountains is a mountain massif, with a peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province, and is part of the ...
(금강산, 金剛山)
* West -
Myohyang-san
The Mount Myohyang (Hangul: 묘향산 - "''Mysterious Fragrant Mountain''") is a mountain in North Korea. It is named after the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area. It is a sacred site as, according to legend, it was the home of Dang ...
(묘향산, 妙香山)
Silla era
In
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...
times, these mountains were considered as
guardians of the country, so ceremonial rituals were held by these mountains. All of these mountains are within South Korea.
* Center -
Palgong-san (팔공산, 八公山)
* North -
Taebaek-san (태백산, 太白山)
* South -
Jiri-san (지리산, 智異山)
* East -
Toham-san
Toham Mountain or Toham-san is a mountain with a height of in Gyeongju City in southeastern South Korea. It is part of the minor Dongdae Mountains range. The mountain lies within Gyeongju National Park and is the site of a large number of histo ...
(토함산, 吐含山)
* West -
Gyeryong-san (계룡산, 鷄龍山)
North Korean list
In North Korea, the following are known as the five famous mountains. Of them, only Jiri-san is in South Korea.
*
Paektu-san (백두산, 白頭山)
*
Kumgang-san
Mount Kumgang () or the Kumgang Mountains is a mountain massif, with a peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province, and is part of the ...
(금강산, 金剛山)
*
Myohyang-san
The Mount Myohyang (Hangul: 묘향산 - "''Mysterious Fragrant Mountain''") is a mountain in North Korea. It is named after the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area. It is a sacred site as, according to legend, it was the home of Dang ...
(묘향산, 妙香山)
*
Kuwol-san
Kuwŏlsan, or Mount Kuwol, is a mountain in South Hwanghae, North Korea. The mountain takes its name from the ninth month of the lunar calendar, because it is considered particularly attractive in that month. The mountain is a major summer resort ...
(구월산, 九月山)
*
Jiri-san (지리산, 智異山)
Occasionally a sixth one,
Chilbo-san (칠보산, 七寶山) in North Korea, is added to reach a list of six famous mountains.
[{{cite magazine, author=Kim Un Jong, title=Mt Kuwol, magazine=Korea Today, url=http://www.korean-books.com.kp/KBMbooks/en/periodic/magazine/00000398.pdf, page=46, year=2019, number=2, issn=0454-4072]
Five Peaks of Gyeonggi
These five mountains are considered as "the representative peaks of
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
". All of them are in South Korea, except Song'ak-san which is in North Korean territory.
*
Gamak-san (감악산, 紺岳山)
*
Gwanak-san
''Gwanaksan'' (Korean for Mt. Gwanak; 632 m) is a mountain in southern Seoul, South Korea. Portions lie in the Gwanak-gu and Geumcheon-gu districts of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang, Gyeonggi and Gwacheon.
The n ...
(관악산, 冠岳山)
*
Hwaak-san (화악산, 華岳山)
* Song'ak-san (송악산, 松岳山)
*
Unak-san (운악산, 雲岳山)
See also
*
Sacred Mountains of China
The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into several groups. The ''Five Great Mountains'' () refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history, and they were the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. They ...
, for five sacred mountains revered in
Chinese culture
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
*
Baekdudaegan
The Baekdu-daegan is a mountain-system and watershed-crest-line which runs through almost all of the length of the Korean Peninsula, from Paektu Mountain (2,744m) in the north to the Cheonhwang-bong or "Heavenly Monarch Peak" of Jirisan (1,915 ...
, the mountain range that stretches down the length of the Korean peninsula
References
Mountains of Korea
Tutelary deities