Nogodan

Sacred Mountain · Korea

Namaksa

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

The peak where rites to the Holy Mother of Jirisan began, before the rite moved to Namaksa and later to a hall beside Hwaeomsa.

The open ridge of Nogodan on Jirisan, grass and low scrub under a wide sky. — Eggmoon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Quick facts

Address: Jirisan, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do
Spiritual entities: Seongmo of Jirisan (智異山聖母)

About this place

Nogodan is a peak of Jirisan and the place where rites to Seongmo Cheonwang, the Holy Mother, were first held. Its name derives from Halmidang, the grandmother’s shrine. The rite was held at Nogodan until early Goryeo, then moved in early Joseon to Namaksa at Dangdong, where it continued until 1907. It was suspended under Japanese rule, resumed after liberation at an altar built at Hwaeomsa, and revived in the 1960s by the Gurye county association.

Origin and history

The Jirisan Namak rite honours the god of the southern peak, Seongmo Cheonwang. Its name comes from Jirisan being called the southern peak among the five sacred mountains.

The rite was held at Nogodan until early Goryeo, then moved in early Joseon to Namaksa at Dangdong in Jwasa-ri, where it was performed until 1907. It was suspended under Japanese rule; after liberation an altar was built at Hwaeomsa and the mountain-god rite continued there, before being revived in the 1960s by the Gurye county association. A new Namaksa was built beside Hwaeomsa in 1969 and the rite moved there the following year.

The name Nogodan derives from Halmidang.

What it is locally associated with

Origin
The rite to the Holy Mother
An observance honouring the god of the southern peak, Seongmo Cheonwang.
documented history
Origin
A rite that moved three times
From Nogodan to Namaksa, suspended under Japanese rule, then continued beside Hwaeomsa.
documented history
Power spot
The name Nogodan
It derives from Halmidang, the grandmother’s shrine.
documented history

What this rite asks for is not something the records say. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture preserves who performed it, when, and where; what was requested is not written down. This page therefore carries no category of request at all.

What remains is the record of its displacement: from Nogodan to Namaksa, broken once under Japanese rule, then to a hall beside Hwaeomsa. Following where a thousand-year-old rite was held brings the modern history of this mountain along with it.

Claims and evidence levels 4

The Jirisan Namak rite honours Seongmo Cheonwang, god of the southern peak, Jirisan being counted among the five sacred mountains. documented history
The rite was held at Nogodan until early Goryeo, moved in early Joseon to Namaksa at Dangdong where it continued until 1907, was suspended under Japanese rule, and resumed after liberation at Hwaeomsa. documented history
It was revived in the 1960s by the Gurye county association; a new Namaksa was built beside Hwaeomsa in 1969 and the rite moved there the following year. documented history
The name Nogodan derives from Halmidang; the state record does not state what the rite asked for. documented history

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