Guksa-am Hermitage of Ssanggye-sa 쌍계사 국사암 |
The view looking west from just above the Sanshin-gak on a typically hazy day. This famous hermitage of Ssanggye-sa, a fairly-easy 30-minute walk up from the main area, was first built in the late Shilla Dynasty. It is said to occupy an excellent site according to Korea's Pungsu-jiri theory -- especially, the Sanshin-gak is ideally situated, angled slightly to the northwest compared with the Main Hall (see below-right) -- with the slope behind it being pure wilderness leading up to the western ridge of Samshin-bong Peak. The budo [stone cremains monument] of National Master Jin-gam (Treasure #380) is located nearby, granting this temple the name Guksa-am [National Master/Teacher/Patriarch Hermitage]. |
excellent sign-board reads R-to-L: San-shin-gak [Mountain-Spirit Shrine] |
SIX Lanterns-of-Buddha's-Enlightenment dignify the steep stairway to the Sanshin-gak -- extremely unusual, granting very high status |
The San-shin taenghwa painting found inside is simply stunning, one of the best modern ones I've found -- they just keep getting better! It features a matronly woman, following the celebrated tradition of eastern Jiri-san, and she holds a ginseng root in her right hand and a bullocho in her left -- a perfect yin-yang balance of mountain- longevity (see my book for detailed explanation). Two tigers, quite fierce and realistic. The three dongja attendants (2 boys & 1 girl, also making balance) offer myriad other symbols of health, fertility and status. The background is sumptuous and excellent, including peaches-of-immortality, flowers, suseok rocks, more bullocho and a pair of blue-yellow birds -- see the detail-shots here below: |
Further in this Section -- the Central-South Sector of Jiri-san (W of Samshin-bong): Ssanggye-sa Monument Written by Choi Chi-won Korea's Capital of Green Tea Bulil Hermitage and Waterfall Chilbul-sa, the Seven-Buddhas Temple the Daeseong Scenic Valley |