Hwaeomsa

Temple · Korea

Jirisan Hwaeomsa · Gakhwangjeon

Researched and translated with AI assistance. Every claim is linked to its source, but errors get through, so check the official site for opening times, fees and closures.About

In short

A temple whose great hall took the name Gakhwangjeon after King Sukjong sent down a board he had written himself.

The two-storey Gakhwangjeon at Hwaeomsa, seven bays wide beneath the wooded slope of Jirisan. — Steve46814 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Quick facts

Address: 539 Hwaeomsa-ro, Masan-myeon, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do

About this place

Hwaeomsa stands on Jirisan in Masan, Gurye, South Jeolla. Its Gakhwangjeon is a two-storey bracketed hall of seven bays by five. Rebuilding began in 1630 under Master Byeogam and was completed in 1702, when the hall rose again as a two-storey structure of seven bays. On its completion King Sukjong sent down a name board he had written himself, and from then on it was called Gakhwangbojeon. It was designated a National Treasure on 20 December 1962.

Origin and history

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes the Gakhwangjeon of Hwaeomsa in Masan, Gurye, as a temple building rebuilt in the later Joseon period, a two-storey bracketed hall seven bays across and five deep.

After it was destroyed in the Imjin War, Master Byeogam began rebuilding in 1630, the eighth year of King Injo, and the hall was completed in 1702, the twenty-eighth year of King Sukjong, as a two-storey structure of seven bays.

On its completion King Sukjong sent down a board he had written himself, reading Gakhwangbojeon, and from then on the hall was called by that name. It was designated a National Treasure on 20 December 1962.

What it is locally associated with

Origin
A board in the king’s hand
On completion King Sukjong sent down a board he had written himself, reading Gakhwangbojeon, and the hall took that name.
documented history
Origin
Seventy-two years of rebuilding
Master Byeogam began the work in 1630; the hall was finished in 1702 as a two-storey structure of seven bays.
documented history
Power spot
Seven bays, two storeys
A bracketed two-storey hall, seven bays across and five deep. Designated a National Treasure on 20 December 1962.
documented history

The surest story this temple keeps is how its hall changed its name. It was originally the Jangyukjeon. After the Imjin War brought it down, rebuilding began in 1630 and finished in 1702, and the king then sent a board in his own hand, after which it was the Gakhwangbojeon.

Several accounts of the founding circulate, but what the state record confirms with dates is this rebuilding and this royal name. So the page begins with the building rather than the legend.

What people ask for here does not appear in the record, so no category of prayer is attached.

Claims and evidence levels 4

The Gakhwangjeon of Hwaeomsa is a two-storey bracketed hall seven bays across and five deep, rebuilt in the later Joseon period. documented history
Master Byeogam began rebuilding it in 1630, and the hall was completed in 1702 as a two-storey structure of seven bays. documented history
On its completion King Sukjong sent down a name board he had written himself, reading Gakhwangbojeon, and the hall was called by that name thereafter. documented history
It was designated a National Treasure on 20 December 1962. documented history

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