The Hermitages of Naewon-sa
up in the Naewonsa-gyegok Scenic-Valley, with Naewon Village
in the Eastern (West Sancheong County) Sector of Jiri-san
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The unique and excellent Chilseong [Seven
Stars of the Big Dipper] painting of Naewon-sa's
Samseong-gak is truly an antique treasure!
It contains no Bukseong-shin [North Star Spirit],
very rare, but does include eight sitting Buddhas
across the top, the Sacheon-wang [Heavenly
Guardian Kings of the Four Directions], an Ilwol-
bosal [Sun-Moon Bodhisattvas] and a girl-boy pair
of dongja-attendants with both a platter and a
basket of Peaches-of-Immortality at bottom.
detail shots are below:
My photo of Naewon-sa's San-shin painting is lost!
I'll try to find it or take another someday.
The Dok-seong painting, right, is notable for the
Buddhist mudra the dongja-boy is making with his
right hand, instead of holding an object as usual.
The unusual Samseong-gak of Naewon-sa
with separate rooms, doors and signboards for San-shin, Chil-seong and Dok-seong
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Naewon-sa [Inner-House, or Entering-Temple, Monastery] is recorded to have been originally founded as Deoksan-sa
[Virtue Mountain Temple] in the late Shilla Dynasty by Muyeom-guksa (801-888). It's name was changed to
Naewon-sa during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1390), but we don't know exactly when, by whom or why this was done.
It is located just 3km west of Samjang Town in Samjang-myeon District of Sancheong-gun County (South Gyeongsang Province),
almost 7 km SE of Jiri's summit Cheonghwang-bong, 4 km east of Guksu-bong 1037.5m), in the mouth of the long
Naewon-cheon Stream-Valley (a.k.a. the Naewon-gyegok, or the Jangdan-gyegok or "Guardian-Altar Scenic-Gorge").
It was a great monastery a thousand years ago, but fell into ruins during the Joseon Dynasty after being sacked by the
Japanese in the Imjin Invasion (1592), and was further damaged during the Korean War. It was restored post-war as a
small, quiet and pleasant temple, visited by tourists and pilgrims for its two stone treasures (a pagoda and a Buddha).
the Long-Eyebrow Arhat [enlightened disciple of Buddha] as a Korean Shinseon [Spirit-Immortal]
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Dancheong decorative-painting and 2 of the Ten-Ox series, on the Main Hall
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