Actually we have visited almost all of the sightseeing and tourists attractions around Yeongdeok except for its beaches and traditional houses. So today we shall be visiting a Traditional village where we shall have a chance to visit a few of the old but famous houses in Yeongdeok. Remember, they have been designated Cultural Property Materials, Monuments, Folklore Materials and Tangible Cultural Property etc. so they are valuable assets to the county. It’s a pity though; I could not get much information from the homepage regarding these cultural assets. Even a search on the web produced negative results. However there were 2 websites, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Exploring of Cultural Properties which offered a little information. And thanks to them I managed to get a list of all the 57 Cultural Properties to be found in Yeongdeok-gun. Only a few had a description of them whilst the rest merely offered a photograph, address and the type of cultural asset information only. So you’ll have to excuse me for posting pictures of the places without much data about them apart from their names and locations. That means you’ll be looking at a picture gallery so to speak.
Before we proceed to the Traditional village in Goeshi-ri let’s go first to Sindolseokjanggunsaenggaji the Birthplace of General Sin Dolseok. (Monuments 87 Yeongdeok-gun), which is in Dogok-ri, Chuksan-myeon. This is one of the few tour attractions that are recommended on the Yeongdeok homepage.
Shindolseok was a commoner-turned-militia general. His family was from Pyeongsan, his alias was Sungyeong, his pen name was Jangsan, but his real name was Taeho. He was also called Dolseok, Taehong, Taeeul, and Daehoand, his nickname was the Tiger of Mt. Taebaek. He was born here in this village in 1878. When the entire nation rose in revolt against the assassination of Empress Myeongseong in 1895, he organized a militia in Yeonghae and disbanded it a year later.
As people rose again against the Treaty of 1905, he organized a militia called 'Yeongreung Euibyeongjin' in 1906, and launched guerrilla warfare all over Gyeongsang-do, Gangwon-do and Chungcheong-do, chilling the blood of the Imperial Japan.
In 1907 the commander-in-chief appointed him 'gyonam changeui daejang,' many militia generals had died and the war was not going in favor of the militia, so a year later he disbanded the militia. He went into retirement in Nulgok-ri, Jipum-myeon with some relatives on his mother's side, (Sangryeol, Sangtae and Sangho Kim,) promising himself a better future. But his relatives were blinded by the bounty on his head, and gave him poisoned wine which he drank. He was brutally killed with an axe.
Since we are already here in Dogok-ri we might as well look around the area.
The Muanparkssimuuigongpajongtaek, Folklore Material #74, (the Head residence of the Muuigong branch of the Muan Park Clan) looks quite big. It was built by Park Son for his eldest brother.
Their father Park Uichang was a military officer who successfully defended Gyeongju many times during the Japanese invasions of 1592-98.
He was designated a Meritorious Official 1st Grade for his outstanding service in the war and was posthumously given the title Muuigong.
The house nestles against a low hill overlooking a field in the south.
There is a shrine to Muuigong behind an inner gate at the back of the house, which is square in shape with a courtyard in the center.
The roof of the Sarangchae, or the men's quarters, is hipped-and-gabled and that of the Anchae, or the women's living area, is gabled.
The house has been renovated many times but the trace of a door jamb at the center of the window of the Anchae and the truss posts in the roofwork of the wooden floored hall of the Sarangchae are constructed in a style prevalent to the mid-Joseon period (1392-1910).
Yeongdeokdaesosanbongsudae/Beacon Tower (Monuments 37)
Yeongdeokdogokdongchunghyodong/Chunghyodang in Dogok-dong, Yeongdeok (Folklore Material 83 – Birthplace)
In Galcheon-ri, there are 1 treasure (the Yeongdeokjangyuksageonchilbosaljwasang/Seated Buddha of Jangyuksa Temple in Yeongdeok), 2 Tangible Cultural Properties (the Daeungjeon Hall in Jangnyuksa Temple and the Hwasuru Pavilion) and 1 Folklore Material (the Galcheondongchogakkachigumeongjip/Thatched house with Kkachigumeong).
The Seated Buddha of Jangyuksa Temple I have already written about it in my last post. However I left out the Daeungjeon Hall of that temple, which I am going to tell you about now.
This gabled-roof structure of a column-head bracketing style is the temple's main hall.
The temple is said to have been founded by Seon(Zen) Buddhist Priest Naong during the reign of King Gongmin(1351-74) of Goryeo(918-1392).
It was destroyed in a fire during the reign of The Great King Sejong(1418-50) of Joseon(1392-1910), rebuilt and destroyed again during the Japanese Invasions of 1592-98, and rebuilt once again.
It was renovated in 1900.
Of the Buddha trinity inside the hall, the seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva/ Goddess of Mercy on the right is a rare example of a paper machė image, the gold leafed surface gives it a grand appearance
According to ancient records, it was created in the ninth month of 1395 under the auspices of the provincial officials to pray to Buddha to bless King Taejo, the founding monarch of the Joseon Kingdom, and his queen, Hyeonbi.
The written record of its history makes it all the more valuable.
The Hwasuru/Hwasuru Pavilion (Tangible Cultural Property 82 – Pavilion) was the place of exile of Gwon Chaek, the young son of Gwon Jasin, a brother of the mother of King Danjong after he was killed by King Sejo.
When King Danjong who had been dethroned and eventually assassinated was posthumously restored to the throne by King Sukjong a memorial house, Daebongseowon, was built to hold Confucian services in honor of the royal family.
Daebongseowon was later demolished along with most memorial houses throughout the nation by a decree of the Daewongun, the father of King Gojong who acted as regent from 1863-73.
However, this pavilion and Cheongganjeong Arbor still remains.
Galcheondongchogakkachigumeongjip/Thatched house with Kkachigumeong (Folklore Material 2 – House) is typical of those houses found east of the Taebaeksanmaek Range although they are rare on the west side.
The rooms are built in a double layer without hallway between the two.
The hipped and gabled roof has a single ridgepole, and there is a hole to allow smoke to escape from the kitchen.
The shelf on the inside wall of the kitchen is for a lamp and heating.
Also typical of these houses, are the cattle sheds adjacent to the kitchen.
And now to Goesi-ri, in Yeonghae-myeon where there are about thirteen cultural assets. But before I take you on a tour of the village allow me to go back in history and tell you a little story about Goesi-ri. In the year 755, in the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Silla, a small boat landed at Jukdo, a small island off the coast of Chuksan. The boat, on its way to Japan from Tang China had encountered stormy weather and had drifted ashore. On board was a man named Jin Zhong, an envoy of China’s King Xuanzong, who was in charge of the party. A hand-delivered message to King Gyeongdeok a few days later, informed him about the incident, who upon hearing the news, bestowed upon Jin Zhong the Korean family name Nam meaning south, the direction from where he had come and provided him with housing at Yeongyang, further inland from where his boat had landed. And that was how Nam Jin Zhong become the founder of the Yeongyang Nam clan, Jin Zhong lived a comfortable life in his adopted home and left behind a number of descendants. In 1630 one of the Nam clan members in Yeongyang moved to Goesi-ri which was near the sea and not far from where Jin Zhong had originally landed. Consequently the Yeongyang Nam clan grew in size in Goesi-ri which became their family base. The Yeongyangnamssigoesipajongtaek, where we are going, is the head residence of the Goesi branch of the Nam Clan of Yeongyang origin
About 30 traditional Korean-style houses remain there till today several of which have been designated as cultural properties.
Yeongdeok-gun boasts of a number of relatively large villages with traditional Korean style houses, in addition to Goesi-ri like Dogok-ri in Chuksan-myeon, Galcheon-ri, Illyang-ri and Ochon-ri in Changsu-myeon and Wongu-ri in Yeonghae-myeon.
The Yeongyangnamssigoesipajongtaek is the head residence of the Goesi branch of the Nam Clan of Yeongyang origin. It is said to have been constructed by Nam Pungik about 300 years ago towards the end of the 17th century.
The house has a square layout with a courtyard in the center.
The Anchae, or the women's living quarters, comprises of a main living room, another room separated from it by a spacious wooden floored hall and a kitchen. The extra room, which originally had a wooden floor, was renovated into an Ondol(heated floor) room.
The Sarangchae, or the men's quarters, protrudes from the right side of the Anchae. It consists of a room and a wooden floored hall.
A family shrine, built about 80 years ago, stands some distance from the living quarters. Though traces of renovations are evident in the interior, the house is nonetheless a good example of the residential structures prevalent in the latter part of the Joseon period (1392-1910).
Enjoy a picture gallery of Goesi-ri.
Goesirigoejeong (Cultural Properties Materials #397 - Pavillion)
Yeongdeokcheonjeondaek/Cheonjeondaek Old house in Yeongdeok (Cultural Properties Materials #378 - Old house)
Yeonghaejugokdaek/Jugokdaek House in Yeonghae (Cultural Properties Materials # 393 Old House)
Mulsowaseodang (Cultural Properties Materials # 394 - Old House)
Goesidongmulsowagotaek/Nam Taekman's old house in Goesidong (Cultural Properties Materials #198 - Old House)
Yeonghaegyeongjudaek(Gyeongjudaek House in Yeonghae (2units) (Cultural Properties Materials #395 - Old House)
Goesidonghaechongotaek/Haechon's Old house in Goesidong (3units) (Cultural Properties Materials #199 - Old House)
Goesidongtaenamdaek/Taenam's old house in Goesidong (2units) (Cultural Properties Materials #197 - Old House)
Daeeunjongtaek/Gwon Gyeong's Old house (Cultural Properties Materials #278 - Old House)
Yeongdeokbeonhodaek/Beonhodaek Old house in Yeongdeok (Cultural Properties Materials #379 - Old House)
I hope that you enjoyed the photos of Goesi-ri. I’m afraid I cannot show you all the 57 cultural assets of Yeogdeok. I’ll only pick out one more that is important and then we can go to the beach.. The next house I’m going to show you is the Yeongdeokchunghyodang/Chunghyodang pavilion in Yeongdeok which belonged to a famous Confucian in Illyang-ri. Actually there are 4 units here including the shrine.
The Yeongdeokchunghyodang/Chunghyodang pavilion in Illyang-ri, Changsu-myeon has been designated Important Folklore Materials #168 – House.
Lee Ae, a famous Confucians in the Joseon Dynasty constructed this house. It was the birthplace of Lee Hyeonil who developed a branch of Confucianism created by Lee Hwang, one of the most famous scholars of the Joseon Dynasty.
%5B5%5D.jpg "Yeongdeokchunghyodang (at the back portion)")
This house is very spacious, consisting of the anchae - the main building, the sarangchae- a detached building used for reception rooms. The sarangchae is located on the left and the anchae on the right within sight of the field in front. There’s a shrine at the back of the anchae, which is surrounded by a fence. The very large back yard has a lot of bamboos growing in it. There’s also a stable in the grounds. A pavilion called the Chunghyodang, is located on higher ground.
It is still used as a training center for young students. This house is constructed for the yangban, the two Korean upper classes of the Joseon Dynasty, composing of a full set of the anchae, the main building; sarangchae, a detached building used for reception rooms; and a shrine.
Historians put its origin in the early Joseon Dynasty, but the buildings were moved later. It was also believed that the main building was moved to the present site where it was renovated sometime during the Joseon Dynasty. However, it is an important example of a house built during the Joseon Dynasty.
Anchae(Housewife's quarters) Important Folklore Materials 168 - 1, has a spacious hallway at the center, the boudoir, main room and kitchen are to the right. On the left is another room. The structure was probably moved to its present site during the middle Joseon dynasty.
Sadang(Family shrine) Important Folklore Materials 168 – 2. The memorial shrine, or sadang, is a walled structure located between the main residential building and a pavilion. The shrine is rather large and has three compartments. Inside, the shrine is a wooden floor.
Chunghyodang(Husband's quarters) Important Folklore Materials 168 – 3 Chunghyodang functioned as both a pavilion and the sarangchae, or the master’s quarters.
It is separately located to the left of the main residence and to this date, is used as a study.
The structure has four compartments and a half-hipped roof. On the right side of the building is the ondolbang, or a room with heated floor. Wooden floors cover the remaining space of the structure.
Covering the front of the building is the door with four panels. Windows open to the side and the back.
Do these pictures look familiar? Remember the Hahoe Mask Dance, it’s something like it except they don’t wear masks in this version.
Yeonghaebyeolsingutnori/Byeolsingutnori of Yeonghae (Tangible Cultural Property #3 - Folk Play and Rite)
The Baekseok swimming beach, a 40 minutes drive from Yeonghae along national road #7 toward Uljin, is located at the northernmost part of Yeongdeok-gun near the Geumgok Bridge. The sandy beach is about 500m long and is ideal for family outings. From here you can get the ocean view as well as the view of Mt. Chilbo.
The Goraebul Beach is about 8 Km long with a background of seaside villages in the Byeonggok-myeon. Mogeun Lee Saek named it Goraebul after seeing whales in the front sea. This is famous as a sea fishing place for red snapper and half beak
The Daejin Beach is a beach located in Daeji-ri, Yeonghae-myeon surrounded by pine trees like a folding screen. It is noted for its clean sea water and the Songcheon(Stream) flows through the white sandy beach. You can enjoy bathing either in the stream or the sea, as well as fresh water fishing and sea fishing
Under the slogan of "Experience a vacation of a lifetime at the clean and clear Yeongdeok beach," the beach festival is held at the respective beaches for a week from the last Saturday of every July. Such events as sand sculpting, shell picking, sunrise sand walking, the General Shindolseok 'ssireum' (traditional Korean wrestling) championship, the peach eating contest, and other cultural events provide summer visitors to Yeongdeok with many pleasant memories.
And now we’ve come to the last item on our agenda, the specialties of Yeongdeok-gun.
Of course the main product of Yeongdeok is the snow crab which we have spoken about in the previous post.
Gwamegi is probably the most well-known and popular food originating from Pohang. Gwamegi was originally made with herrings which were abundantly caught off the coast of the East Sea. Once caught, rows of herrings are lined along bamboo sticks and hung over the opened kitchen window or under the roof. After several repeats of being frozen by the cold ocean wind and defrosted by the strong sunshine over the course of a week or so, the herrings become solid and jellylike, with a natural salty taste that turns mild and savory as one continues to chew. Herrings were usually dried whole, without halving it and taking out the intestines. These days, manufacturers prefer halving the fish to minimise the fishy taste. Driving along the beautiful coastal road one will see small shacks that house strings of herrings being dried against the strong sea wind. The most mouth-watering and scrumptious part about herring gwamegi are their tightly packed roe.
Yeongdeok grapes When : September ~ November Since there is plenty of sunshine all year round and the climatic conditions are favorable, Yeongdeok grapes are rich in sugar, pectin, and vitamins, and are very nutritional as well. Accordingly, they are very good for recovering from fatigue, skin health, and prevention of aging. In recent years they are growing in popularity as diet food.
Oshipcheon sweetfish When : June ~ September The Oshipcheon River originates from the valley in Mt. Daedun, and passes steep mountains and dark valleys before reaching Yeongdeok-eup. From there it flows into the East Sea at Ganggu port. It is an unpolluted river full of various freshwater fishes. It is particularly famous as the habitat of the sweetfish. Oshipcheon sweetfish with golden stripes are so delicious and flavorful that it was presented to the kings in the Chosun Dynasty period. You can enjoy it raw, fried or boiled. Its watermelon taste is unique.
Dried herring When : December ~ February of the following year Most of you are familiar with dried saury. To make dried herring, herring is tied with straw and dried for about 15 days in the winter sea breeze. It freezes at night, and thaws in the daytime for fermentation. It is the original dried herring with a spicy flavor. It is especially delicious if you eat it with vinegar and red pepper paste, and raw brown seaweed.
Squid When : All year round Squid caught in the clean waters of the East Sea is dried in the cold and dry sea breeze. It is high in protein, low in calories and fat. It tastes as good as the squid from Ulleung Island. Half-dried squid and fully dry squid are available.
Yeongdeok brown seaweed When : All year round Yeongdeok brown seaweed, picked in the clean waters of the East Sea, is rich in many nutrients such as vitamins, iodine and alginic acid. It helps prevent sclerosis of the arteries and high blood pressure, and is very good for your health. It is a traditional health food that is good for post-delivery recuperation and for convalescent patients.
Yeongdeok anchovy When : All year round Yeongdeok anchovies are processed immediately after it is caught to ensure freshness. It is high in nutrients like Calcium. It is especially good for osteoporosis. You can also enjoy raw anchovies at one of the local restaurants.
Guess that’s about all for now. I must apologize if it hasn’t been very informative. Hope to see you all again.
No comments:
Post a Comment