Taebaek-san   태백산
the Grand White Mountain
one of South Korea's Top-12 Sacred Mountains
Cheonje-dan 천제단  [Altar for Offering to Heaven] Peak on the left,
Janggun-bong [Guardian General Peak] behind it, and
Manggyeong-sa [All-encompassing-View Temple] lined up below them,
as seen from Munsu-bong in 1993.     MAP
Neo-Confucian officiants in royal robes stand in front of the famous Taebaek-san
name-pillar, just after the 1993 Gyecheon-jeol cermony at the Cheonje-dan Altar.
The small Seonghwang-dang [Sagely King Shrine] in its
sacred grove, now stuck in the middle of the Dang-gol
[Shrine Valley] parking lots!  on its right side a line of
modernized Jang-seung statues have been erected.
The Taebaek-je Festival on Gyecheon-jeol 2005 was curiously
downsized, compared with previous years.  Apart from the formal
Sanshin-je and the Dangun-je, there wasn't much going on.  In the
main plaza of Dang-gol, there was only this Baduk tournament.
When the mystical Buddhist/Daoist monk Myocheong raised a
significant rebellion around 1130 (mostly based on his advocacy of
moving the capital northwards to achieve a superior position according to his
Pungsu-jiri readings) and had a new palace built in Pyeongyang, some
Confucian scholars supporting him approved of his constructing
eight shrines for nation-protecting/benefiting "Immortals", and
advocated that the Spirits of Baekdu-san and Taebaek-san be the
first ones enshrined - demonstrating their primary status.
the Gang of Seven on the trip there October 2-3 2005, sitting in the
doorway of the excellent Yu-jeong Motel in Dang-gol, flanked by
neo-traditionalist stone jang-seung.  clockwise from upper left is Prof.
John Dougill of Kyoto, Yana Kim (translator & Buddhist), Dr. Anne Hilty
(a cultural psychologist working in Seoul), David Mason (slacker &
guide), "Freebird" Min Jae-ki (ceo of Buddhist website-design company),
So-youn (student) and Tyler S (film-maker & teacher in Daegu).
Anne Hilty's set of 121 excellent photos
from this trip can be viewed HERE.
And her literary-quality essay describing
the trip is posted HERE.
Index of Taebaek-san Pages:
MAP of Taebaeksan
01  Introduction  (this page)
02  Cheonje-dan and Janggun-bong Peaks, and the Lower Altar
03  Jumok-namu Trees
04  Munsu-bong Peak with its towers and shrines -- and my June 2003 Hike
05  Manggyeong-sa Temple, the highest-altitude monastery in South Korea
06  King Danjong as a Taebaek-sanshin:  the alpine Danjong-wang Bi-gak
07  the 2005 Sanshin-je Ceremony above Dang-gol
08  Dangun-Seonjeong Shrine in Dang-gol and the 2005 Dan-gun-je Ceremony
09  2006 Lunar-Gaecheon-jeol Ceremony at the Dangun-Seonjeong Shrine
10  Cheongwon-sa Temple in Dang-gol -- Shrine for the Dragon of the Nakdong River
11  the Buljeong-Sandang Shamanic Shrine in Dang-gol
12  Mandeok-sa in Dang-gol -- "Ten-thousand Virtues" Temple with a great Sanshin-do
13  Bae-ssi-Sandang Shamanic Shrine and Daejinju-am Temple in western Dang-gol
14  Other Shamanic Shrines in eastern Dang-gol
15  Baekdan-sa Temple, and the Shamanic Shrines in its Valley
16  Shamanic Shrines in western Baekdan-sa-gol
17  other Shamanic Shrines on the northern slopes of Taebaek-san
18  Yu-il-sa, one of Korea's least accessible temples, but on the BDDG
19  Munsu-sa and other temples of southeastern Taebaek-san
20  Wolam-sa and Climbing Wolam-bong (Dal-bawi-bong) October 2005
21  "Taebaek-san Jeong-am-sa" Temple on Hambaek-san, founded by Jajang-yulsa
22  other temples and shrines of the Taebaek City area
23  Other Temples considered "of" Taebaek-san, although farther away
24  Cheonje Ceremony of 1989 and 1993
25  Cheonje Ceremony of 1999
24  Cheonje Ceremony of 2001
25  Cheonje Ceremony of 2004
26  Gakwha-sa and other temples of southwestern Taebaek-san
27  Kkoldu-bawi of Sang-dong Village
28  Cheongryong-am, Azure Dragon Hermitage -- Sanshin Site on the SE slope
Also of interest in Dang-gol Valley is the Taebaek Coal Museum