''Iljumun'' is the first gate at the entrance to many
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean
**Korean dialects
**See also: North–South differences in t ...
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...
s. Called the "One-Pillar Gate", because when viewed from the side the gate appears to be supported by a single pillar.
Description
The Iljumun is one of the three major types of gates constructed on the path that leads to the temple and often illustrates the formality of
Buddhist architecture
Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the sacred architecture, religious architecture of History of Buddhism, early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate ...
. The other two are the Cheonwangmun (Gate of Guardians) and the Haetalmun (Gate of Deliverance). The construction of Iljumun is said to have originated from the tradition of placing four gates at the four cardinal points around the
stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
s of
Sanchi
Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...
in India since the 1st century BC.
The Iljumun symbolizes the one true path of enlightenment which supports the world.
Physically, the gate serves to demarcate the temple from the outside. It is the boundary between the Buddhist temple and a human's worldly life.
The gate symbolizes purification and one must leave all of their worldly desires before entering the temple.
The oneness is also a metaphor for
non-duality
Nondualism includes a number of philosophical and spiritual traditions that emphasize the absence of fundamental duality or separation in existence. This viewpoint questions the boundaries conventionally imposed between self and other, min ...
(unity) in spirit and heart.
An image of an Iljumun appears on the obverse of the
Korean Service Medal
The Korean Service Medal (KSM) was a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950, by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for ...
.
See also
*
Hongsalmun
In architecture, a ''hongsalmun'' is a gate for entering a sacred place in Korea. ''Hongsalmun'', also called ''hongjeonmun'' or ''hongmun'', are usually erected to indicate Korean Confucian sites, such as shrines, tombs, and academies such as ' ...
, in Korean architecture with both religious and other usage
*
Torana
A ''torana'' (; '' awr-uh-nuh') is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu architecture, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asi ...
, in Hindu-Buddhist Indian-origin also found in Southeast Asia and East Asia
*
Toran, ceremonial Indian door decoration
*
Torii
A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...
, in Japanese temple architecture
*
Paifang
A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architecture, often used in arch or gateway structures.
Etymology
The word ''paifang'' ( zh, c=牌坊, p=páifāng) was originally a collective term for the top two le ...
, in Chinese temple architecture
*
Tam quan, in Vietnamese temple architecture
References
Gates in Korea
Buddhism in Korea
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