Gosansa Temple in Daejeon

Gosansa Temple in Daejeon is the oldest temple of Mt. Sikjangsan. It is located in the western valley of Mt. Sikjangsan. It is assumed to have been established by the national priest Doseon in 886 B.C., the first year of the reign of Silla King Jeonggang. Then it was rebuilt by Sudeung guksa, a renowned Buddhist priest in 1636, the 14th year of the reign of King Injo of the Joseon Dynasty. Another opinion is that it was established by High Priest Cheolgam during the reign of King Heondeok.

Features of Gosansa Temple in Daejeon

•  Surrounded by majestic forests, Gosansa Temple has been a good meditation place for Buddhist monks.

•  History has it that many great priests came here to meditate.

•  The fascinating co-existence of unusual rocks, old pines and the pure waters that flow through them make it a place worth visiting.

•  It is still shrouded in mystery about who built this temple. The location of the building and the pagodas in the front yard prove it that it was built in Goryeo.

•  According to writings discovered when Dae-ungjeon was renovated, it is believed that Sikjangsan Mountain was called Beopjangsan Mountain and Gosansa Temple was called Beopjangsa Temple in the past.

•  Inside the Dae-ungjeon, Sojo yeoraesangs or Buddhistic idols, made of mud are displayed and on the northern wall hangs Hubultaenghwa, a painting drawn at Unmunsa Temple in 1815, the 15th year of the reign of King Sunjo.

•  There is a tablet written with the letter 'Daewoongbojeon' in Daeungjeon that is the main Buddhist sanctum to enshrine the Buddhist statue.

•  It consists of three front spaces and three side spaces and its roofline looks like the Chinese letter 'eight' from the side.

•  Gongpo, designed to hole up the roof's overhangs on a pillar, is set up only on the pillars.

•  This style is known as Jusimpoyangsik or Jusimpo style.

•  The style that Gongpo features not only on the pillars but also between them, is Dapoyangsik or Dapo style.

•  Generally, Paljakjibung is not used with Jusimpoyangsik though it has a unique building style.

•  The ceiling is decorated with the patterns of Chinese letter 'a well' that can be found in Dapoyangsik.

•  They made the roof shape of Datjib or canopy elaborate to decorate the seat of the Buddhist statue on Buddhist altar.

•  It is considered as an important cultural asset for research work because this building features Paljakjibung architectural style with Jusimpoyangsik which hardly can be seen in Korea.