| Hongseong-gun Yongbong-san |
| Sacred Site along the Geumbuk-jeongmaek Range |
Yongbong-sa's friendly Abbott, modern pagoda, Main Hall, Samseong-gak (see next page), Residence
Hall -- all beneath the rocky peak of Yongbong-san. It was originally sited just below the summit, where
the carved Buddha still is (see previous page), probably founded in the late Baekje Kingdom (7th Cen).
However, it was destroyed in the early Joseon Dynasty (15th Cen) by the Pyeongyang Jo Clan who
settled as aristocrats in this area and determined through pungsu-jiri that this site would be the best
location for the clan's tombs. Yongbong-sa was later rebuilt here, to the NE of the peak and about
halfway down the slope, and was thoroughly reconstructed in the 1990s.
Hall -- all beneath the rocky peak of Yongbong-san. It was originally sited just below the summit, where
the carved Buddha still is (see previous page), probably founded in the late Baekje Kingdom (7th Cen).
However, it was destroyed in the early Joseon Dynasty (15th Cen) by the Pyeongyang Jo Clan who
settled as aristocrats in this area and determined through pungsu-jiri that this site would be the best
location for the clan's tombs. Yongbong-sa was later rebuilt here, to the NE of the peak and about
halfway down the slope, and was thoroughly reconstructed in the 1990s.
| Yongbong-sa Dragon-Peak Temple |
| Superb modern Shinjung-taenghwa (Assembly of Guardian Spirits Painting) in the Main Hall -- multi-armed tantric Demon-king in the upper-center, above Dongjin-bosal |
| Full-size lithograph of its high-quality ancient Yeongsan-hoegwae-do (Vulture-Peak Assembly Painting, Sakyamuni Buddha preaching the Lotus Sutra) in the Main Hall -- the original is now in the National Museum of Korea and nationally-designated Treasure #1262. |
Details of curious characters I:
Above -- San-shin (far-left middle-row) sports a
green Daoist shawl-cap. Note the Dragon-Kingish
Fish-spirit in the lower-right corner, and the Bird-
spirit in the upper-right taking a bite out of a dragon!
Left -- the actual Dragon-King of the Waters
surrounded by odd others. Well-painted!
Above -- San-shin (far-left middle-row) sports a
green Daoist shawl-cap. Note the Dragon-Kingish
Fish-spirit in the lower-right corner, and the Bird-
spirit in the upper-right taking a bite out of a dragon!
Left -- the actual Dragon-King of the Waters
surrounded by odd others. Well-painted!
| Ilchul-mun One-Pillar Front-Gate: "Yongbong-san Yongbong-sa" |
| spiritual painting of Deer -- an incomplete Ship-jangsaeng icon |
| The Fifth Chan Patriarch recognizes Huineng, later to certify him as Sixth Patriarch |
| Gwanse-eum the Bodhisattva of Compassion and his Dragon-Boat that conveys the souls of the departed |
| Another -- but very different -- superb modern Shinjung-taenghwa (Assembly of Guardian Spirits Painting) in the Jijang-bosal Hall -- multi-armed tantric Demon-king in the lower-center this time, riding a flaming dharma-unicycle. |
| Details of curious characters II: As perhaps appropriate for a gloomy funeral-hall, this San-shin looks as dire and demonic as I have EVER seen him! He holds a sprig of coral, very rare, and is flanked by the Dragon-King of the Waters and a fur-hatted General. |
