Anhwa-sa is a

Korean Buddhist temple Buddhist temples are an important part of the Korean landscape. Most Korean temples have names ending in ''-sa'' (), which means "monastery" in Sino-Korean vocabulary, Sino-Korean. Many temples participate in the Templestay program, where visitors ...

located on Mt. Songak in the historic city of

Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

. Once one of the smallest of the many temples in Kaesong, today it is the only one to have survived the Korean War.

History

Anhwa Temple was founded under the Koryo dynasty in 930 AD, originally named as Anhwa Seon-Won (安和禪院). The temple was founded to mourn Wang Shin (王信), who was the younger brother of

Taejo of Goryeo Taejo (; 31 January 877 – 4 July 943), personal name Wang Kŏn (), also known as Taejo Wang Kŏn (), was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936. Backgroun ...

sent to

Later Baekje Later Baekje (, ) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Kyŏn Hwŏn in 900, whom led the local gentry and populace tha ...

and was later killed by Chin Hwŏn for the death of his son Chin Ho (眞虎). In 1117 AD, the temple became a large temple of national importance. The ''pyeonaek'' ( English: "framed title", 편액,扁額) of the building was written by

Emperor Huizong of Song Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calli ...

due to a request made by

Yejong of Goryeo Yejong (11 February 1079 – 15 May 1122), personal name Wang U, was the 16th king of the Korean Goryeo dynasty. He was the eldest son of King Sukjong and Queen Myeongui, and succeeded to the throne upon his father's death. His reign is usu ...

and was sent to

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

along with buddha statues and treasures. Its location, on the south face of Mt. Songak, was specifically chosen for its good

feng shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

. During the Yi dynasty, the government funded several restorations of the buildings. The temple suffered some damage from US bombings during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, including the destruction of Myongbu Hall (). Today, there remains Taeung Hall (), the temple's main shrine; Obaek Hall (, "Hall of Five Hundred") filled with innumerable small Buddhist statues; and the monks' living quarters and kitchen. There is also a stone pagoda dating to the original Koryo-era temple. The temple was restored in 1989.

References

Kaesong Buddhist temples in North Korea 10th-century establishments in Korea 930 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 930s 10th-century Buddhist temples {{NorthKorea-Buddhist-temple-stub