Samseong-gung ("Palace of the Three Sages") is a

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

along the slopes of Jiri Mountain,

Hadong Hadong County (, ''Hadong-gun'') is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is on the far-west side of the province, bordering South Jeolla Province. The county office is located at Hadeong-eup. History The county of Hadong was call ...

county in

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World ...

, that was created for paying homage to the three mythical founders (father-son-grandson trio) of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

: *

Hwanin Haneullim or Haneulnim (하늘님 "Heavenly Lord"/"Lord of Heaven") is the sky God of Cheondoism and Jeungsanism. In the more Buddhist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Indra. In the more Taoist-aligned parts of these religio ...

(환인) - or "Divine Regent". In the traditional Dangun mythology Hwanin is portrayed as the Emperor of Heaven himself. *

Hwanung Hwanung (Korean for the "Supreme Divine Regent") is an important figure in the mythological origins of Korea. He plays a central role in the story of Dangun Wanggeom (단군왕검/), the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first kingdom of Korea. ...

(환웅) - or "Supreme Divine Regent" is Hwanin's son, who in the traditional Dangun mythology, descended to the peak of a sacred mountain long ago to bring civilized government and thus "benefit humanity". *

Dangun Dangun (; ) or Dangun Wanggeom (; ) was the legendary founder and god-king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning province in Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gran ...

Wanggeom (단군왕검) - or "Grandson of Heaven" is the half-human/half-divine son of Hwanung. Dangun was the fabled founder of

Gojoseon Gojoseon () also called Joseon (), was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary founder named Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean Pen ...

, the first

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

kingdom, around present-day

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

Northeast China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of t ...

, and the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. Dangun is said to have founded the kingdom in 2333 BCE.

Origin

Samseonggung shrine was established in 1983 by Ham Pil, a

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

priest claiming his family based Taoist lineage occupied this part of Jiri Mountain for the last 400 years. Additional construction and updating is ongoing. Samseonggung was constructed on this site based in the spirit of ''Hong-ik In-gan'' (홍익인간/

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

: ''洪益人間, "''widely benefit all mankind") and ''Eui-hwa Segye'' (의화세계/

: 義和世界, "rightfully harmonize all the world") to continue the Baedal people's ideology of

Seon Seon may refer to: * Seon, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Aargau * ''Seon'', a type of arranged marriage in South Korea * Korean Seon, a Zen school of Korean Buddhism * Seon (food), steamed vegetable dishes with fillings in Korean cui ...

and the lifestyle of Shinseondo (the way of Seon). The teachings include ''Chung'' (충/

: 忠, "loyalty"), ''Hyo'' (효/

: 孝, "filial piety"), ''Shin'' (신/

: 信, "faith"), ''Yong'' (용/

: 勇, "bravery or courage"), and ''In'' (인/

: 仁, "humane virtue"), these concepts are from

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

. Also, teaching of the "Six Skills" of reading, archery, horse riding, propriety, ''Gwonbak'' (hand striking), and music and song.

Characteristics

Available at the entrance to Samseonggung is a museum and gift shop offering a variety visitor amenities. The pathway up to the main shrine grounds meanders through the hillside past an interesting mix of sights and shrines. At the end of the path one encounters the closed gate to the main shrine grounds. Access is gained by striking the gong, secured to a wooden post located just outside the gated entrance, three times. A

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

shortly appears and gives a brief lecture about Samseonggung, explaining the various rules for visiting, including instructions on how to bow to the three founders. Once inside, one of the visitors in the group may be asked to don traditional clothes. Erected to ward off

evil spirits A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

, there are many stone and wood poles called ''

Jangseung A ''jangseung'' or village guardian is a Korean totem pole usually made of wood. Jangseungs were traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark village boundaries and frighten away demons. They were also worshipped as village tutelary dei ...

'' (장승, like totem poles) and ''Bangsadap'' (방사답/

: 防邪塔, "Guardian Mounds", i.e. mound which repels or wards evil) - sometimes called ''doldap'' (돌답),

conical A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

stone pyramids throughout the grounds. Visitors can walk pathways around the grounds to see the many totems and the approximately 1,500 stone pyramids, found throughout the grounds of Samseonggung.

Main Shrine Hall

Cheongung (천궁/

: 天宮, "Heavenly Celestial Palace"), or the main Shrine Hall of the Three Sages, enshrines paintings and altars for the honoring of the three mythical founders of Korea. Hwanin - is in the center, Hwanung - is on the left, and Dangun - is on the right inside the hall. The architecture of the hall is unique in itself being constructed in the shape of an

arc ARC may refer to: Business * Aircraft Radio Corporation, a major avionics manufacturer from the 1920s to the '50s * Airlines Reporting Corporation, an airline-owned company that provides ticket distribution, reporting, and settlement services * ...

with front of the hall the greater of the

radii In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

Jade Comma Pond

An interesting feature is the Jade Comma Pond, a jade colored pond in the shape of a comma, or "half a

Yin and Yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the c ...

", located next to the performance area.

Cheonje festival

The Cheonje festival (천제절/

: 天祭節, "Heavenly Ritual" or "Ceremony for Heaven"), is held on the main shrine grounds yearly. The festival, having been held by Koreans throughout their history of more than 2000 years, is described as "colorful events filled with joy, friendship, drink and dance". The Samseonggung Cheonje Festival is held on the third day of the tenth moon of the

Lunar Calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Gre ...

Gallery

file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07348.JPG, Some of the Bangsadap file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07358.JPG, Cheongung and Bangsadap file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07363.JPG, Pavilion and Cheongung file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07374.JPG, Jade Pond file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07388.JPG, One of the larger Bangsadaps file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07390.JPG, Samseonggung performance area file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07456.JPG, Stone Jangseung file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07367.JPG, Samseonggung Cheongung file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07475.JPG, Inside Samseonggung Cheongung file:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07514.JPG, Indide Samseonggung museum

External links

References

{{coord, 35.241203, 127.701618, display=title Monuments and memorials in South Korea Religious buildings and structures in South Korea