Hwangudan Altar, located in Jung-gu,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, was built in 1897 to serve as a site for the performance of the rite of heaven. The site was also known by other names, such as Wongudan (원구단, ), Jecheondan (제천단, ) and Wondan (원단, ).Cyber Tour into Cultutural Properties
/ref> Hwangudan was designated South Korea's Historic Site No. 157 on July 15, 1967.

History

Korean monarchs sacrificed to Heaven during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

and

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

periods. The practice was Confucianized with the adoption of the round altar ritual by Seongjong of Goryeo in 983. The round altar ritual was restricted to Sons of Heaven. Goryeo monarchs sacrificed to Heaven until 1385; they sacrificed to Heaven during the period of Mongol domination in Korea. King Sejo of Joseon briefly restarted the rite but stopped the practice in the tenth year of his reign in 1464 because the rite could only be performed by the son of heaven - the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

emperor and Joseon was a tributary state to Ming. The ritual was restarted again when King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897 after the First Sino-Japanese War, but it was subsequently abolished by the Japanese colonial government in 1910. The Gocheonje ritual was revived in 2002 with the intention of annual performance as a revival of Korean cultural heritage.

Architecture

Hwangudan was built in 1897 following the

ritual tradition. The site of the complex sat between Namsan and

Bukhansan Bukhansan (, ), or Bukhan Mountain, is a mountain on the northern periphery of Seoul, South Korea. There are three major peaks, Baegundae , Insubong , Mangyeongdae . Because of its height and the fact that it borders a considerable portion of the ...

, and was considered highly auspicious by geomancers. The altar complex was also designed to mimic natural elements such as the sun and moon. It was a three-story altar made of granite and was used for animal sacrifice. The top center of the altar held a conical yellow-roofed building. The altar was destroyed by the Japanese in 1913. Jeongdong68

Today, the Hwanggungu (hwang-gung-u, 皇穹宇, Imperial Vault of Heaven), a three-storied octagonal shrine built in 1899, remains at the site. The Hwanggungu, built on the north side of the altar complex, was designed for the worship of Heaven and respecting Taejo, the founder of Joseon. Along with the Hwanggungu, there are several other surviving relics such as the three stone drums (Seokgodan, 石鼓壇) featuring dragon decorations completed in 1902 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gojong's enthronement, the gate leading to Hwanggungu, and the main entrance into the complex. The imperial Japanese built the Railroad Chosen Hotel in the area where they had demolished Hwangudan Altar. In 1968, that hotel was demolished and the was built in its place. The Hwanggungu still stands in the hotel complex today and although it is not a well known tourist site, it is popular with the guests of the hotel. File:Hwangudan Gate 03.JPG, Main entrance into the complex, Josun Hotel seen in background. File:Hwangudan Gate 02.JPG, Gate leading to Hwanggungu. File:Jeongdong75.jpg, View of the gate from Hwanggungu. Note its proximity to the Josun Hotel. File:Hwangudan Stone drums.JPG, Three stone drums commemorating the 40th anniversary of Gojong's enthronement.

Gallery

File:"Temple of heaven" in the grounds of the Chosen Hotel, Keijo (Seoul), Chosen (NYPL Hades-2359534-4044298).jpg, View of Hwanggungu from the Chosen Hotel. File:AL-88 Al Menasco Album Image 000192 (14357945301).jpg, A photograph of the site labeled 'Temple of Heaven, Seoul'. File:Temple of Heaven Seoul2.jpg, Hwanggungu in 1925. File:Alter for Heaven of Korean Empire - Jeongdong66.jpg, Hwanggungu in 2011. File:Westin Chosun Seoul2.jpg, Hwanggungu at night. File:Wongudan Gate, Seoul.jpg

References

External links

Cultural Heritage Online: Hwangudan

Seoul, Jung-gu Culture & Tourism

Asian Historical Architecture: Hwangudan Altar
* http://san-shin.org/TOH-1.html

{{Coord, 37, 33, 54.19, N, 126, 58, 47.46, E, display=title Jung District, Seoul Buildings and structures in Seoul Tourist attractions in Seoul Korean Confucianism Korean Empire

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links