Janggoksa Temple, Cheongyang, South Korea

Janggoksa Temple, Cheongyang, South Korea

241, Janggok-gil, Daechi-myeon, Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea

In Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, there is a mountain called Chilgapsan — a name made famous largely thanks to a popular folk song. And nestled within Chilgapsan is Janggoksa, a venerable temple with a history of over a thousand years. A subsidiary temple of Magoksa, the head temple of the sixth district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Janggoksa is not widely known among the general public. It possesses a number of distinctive charms, yet it cannot be said to offer any single standout attraction. According to tradition, the temple was founded in 850 — the twelfth year of King Munseong of Silla — by the Seon master Chejing, known posthumously as Bojo. It underwent reconstruction on several occasions thereafter, though no records of those intervening histories have come down to us.

With the exception of two of its halls, the surviving structures at Janggoksa were rebuilt or reconstructed in the modern era. What makes the temple particularly unusual is its layout: the precinct is divided vertically along a steep incline, with two separate main halls — two Daeungjeons — positioned one above the other. The upper Daeungjeon is designated Treasure No. 162, and the lower Daeungjeon is designated Treasure No. 181. Why this arrangement came to be is impossible to say with certainty, but the topography of Janggoksa offers little in the way of flat, lateral space. It seems the builders resorted to stacking the structures vertically — a solution found nowhere else in the country. Within the precinct, there also remains National Treasure No. 58: a seated iron Medicine Buddha, or Yaksa Yeorae, together with its stone pedestal.

Owing to this vertically cascading layout, the temple becomes a place of extraordinary atmosphere during the autumn foliage season. A gentle hiking trail connects Janggoksa to the summit of Chilgapsan, making it well suited for a leisurely mountain walk. From the summit, the view of the West Sea coast unfolds in a panorama that defies easy description. Janggoksa sits on the far side of Chilgapsan from the town of Cheongyang, which means public transportation is sparse. Unless one carefully plans around the few buses that run each day, a taxi is virtually the only option. It is not a famous destination, and visitor numbers remain modest, so there is no ticket booth to speak of — the grounds are quiet, unhurried, and still.

A temple of just the right size — neither too large nor too small. Cultural heritage of several centuries standing, not so renowned as to be overwhelming, yet impossible to dismiss. A precinct so hushed it feels as though no one else exists in the world. Natural scenery at one with the gentle contours of the surrounding mountains. All of this together makes Janggoksa an ideal setting for the kind of quiet, unassuming journey that asks nothing of you. After taking in the full grounds, I walked a good while back down to the bus stop. Here too, as in Oesan Township near Muryangsa in Buyeo, a small and modest rural village stretches out along the way. Dogs bark from here and there among the houses, and the figures of elderly villagers appear at intervals along the road. Perhaps it is simply because I am Korean, but this kind of scene — one that could not be found quite like this anywhere else in the world — never fails to put me at ease, no matter how many times I encounter it.

If you would like to experience a unique side of Korea, the "Land of the Morning Calm," please feel free to reach out. I host small, private guided tours tailored for international visitors.

Contact: 7sevensmart@gmail.com

https://korean-heritage-trail.blogspot.com/
https://www.photonuri.com