Donuimun (), sometimes called the West Gate or Seodaemun (), was one of the

Eight Gates of Seoul 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. The gate served as the westeren opening to the Fortress Wall that surrounded the city during the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period. It was originally built in 1396, destroyed during the 16th century, and then rebuilt in 1711. However, it was again destroyed in 1915, during the

Japanese occupation of Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

, and has not since been rebuilt.

History

Donuimun was originally built in 1396. It was burned as a result of the 16th century

invasions by Japan An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of ...

, but was rebuilt in 1711. In 1413, the gate was closed. In 1422, Donuimun gate was repaired. In 1711, Donuimun Gate was rebuilt in 1711. In 1915, the gate was again destroyed during the Japanese colonial period. The gate was photographed at various times before its destruction, most notably by in a series of photographs taken by Presbyterian missionary

Horace Grant Underwood Horace Grant Underwood (19 July 1859 – 12 October 1916) was an American Northern Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian missionary, education, educator, and translator who dedicated his life to developing Christianity in Korea. Early life Underw ...

in 1904. Some of these photographs show the tracks of an "American Electric Tramway" running through the gate. The name Donuimun means literally "Loyalty Gate." It was one of the Four Great Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul.

Preservation

Donuimun was demolished in 1915, during Japanese rule of Korea, in order to facilitate the construction of a tram line. In 2009,

Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government () is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Governmen ...

announced plans to rebuild Donuimun, using maps from the Joseon era to the present day, in addition to conducting surveys and excavations. Officials originally envision the project to be complete by 2013, but was delayed to 2022, due to budget issues. Currently, an art piece titled "Invisible Gate" stands over the Donuimun site.

Images

References

{{Authority control Gates of Seoul Buildings and structures completed in 1396