Naksansa Temple, Yangyang, South Korea

Naksansa Temple, Yangyang, South Korea

100, Naksansa-ro, Ganghyeon-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

Traveling along the eastern coast of Korea, one encounters a remarkable succession of beautiful places — beaches, mountains, sea caves, and natural scenery of a strangely moving quality. Among these, there is one outstanding cultural heritage site situated directly by the sea: Naksansa Temple in Yangyang, near Sokcho in Gangwon Province. I cannot recall exactly when I first visited Naksansa, but I believe I came once or twice as a child with my parents, and later, during my university years, I would stop by whenever I made the trip to Seoraksan — it was close enough that there was little reason not to.

Naksansa is a temple of rare scale among Korea's coastal Buddhist sites. It stands on Naksan — the mountain said to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, known in Korean as Gwanseeum Bosal — and was founded in 671, the eleventh year of King Munmu of Silla, by the great monk Uisang. It was rebuilt several times over the centuries, burned to the ground during the Korean War, and reconstructed in 1953, going on to earn renown as one of the three great Gwaneum pilgrimage sites in the country. Then, in April 2005, a massive wildfire swept through the Gwandong region and destroyed most of the temple's buildings, which have since been rebuilt. As a result, the site holds relatively little in the way of conventional cultural heritage value today, yet there remains much to see — among them Uisangdae Pavilion and Hongnyeonam Hermitage, both attached structures of Naksansa and together designated Historic Site No. 495.

The entirety of Obongsan Mountain, stretching along the Yangyang coastline, constitutes the grounds of Naksansa. The official main gate is Hongyemun Arch Gate, first constructed in 1467 during the thirteenth year of King Sejo of Joseon; it was lost to the wildfire and later rebuilt, and follows the characteristic style of Joseon-period fortress architecture. Many visitors are unaware that this is the temple's formal entrance. Because the nearby Naksan Beach is so well known and so well equipped with amenities, most people approach from that direction, ascending along the path that leads first to Uisangdae Pavilion and Hongnyeonam Hermitage — the sites associated with the founding legend of the monk Uisang.

This stretch of coast is celebrated as one of the finest places along the eastern seaboard to watch the sunrise, and it is here that the grounds of Naksansa properly begin. Passing through Botajeon Hall — a new building despite its traditional tiled roof — and climbing the hill, one arrives at the imposing Sea-Facing Gwaneum Statue, the Haesugwaneum. The hilltop on which the statue stands is the highest point within the temple grounds, and from it the coastline of the East Sea stretches away in both directions in a sweeping panorama that is, in itself, a magnificent sight. Continuing along the footpath past the statue, one comes to Wontongbojeon Hall, rebuilt after it was consumed in the 2005 fire. Much care has gone into its reconstruction, yet for those who remember the hall as it once stood, a sense of irreplaceable loss lingers.

The cultural heritage that has endured through the long centuries and survived to the present day may not always appear, at first glance, to be of great significance. But what has accumulated across that span of time and reached us now — once lost — is gone forever. When I think of all the precious cultural treasures that have vanished in the course of repeated foreign invasions and the upheavals of modernization, I feel a hollow ache, as though something has been taken from the chest and never returned. Revisiting Naksansa after the fire, I found myself thinking: to take thorough precautions for what little remains, to put in place systematic plans for its preservation, and to pass it safely through our hands and into those of the generations that follow — is this not the duty of all of us who were born and live upon this land?

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.

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