Muhak (무학, 1327–1405) was a

Korean Buddhist Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, the ...

monk that lived during the transition between the

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 unifica ...

and the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

kingdoms.

Life

Muhak was a Buddhist monk and an advisor to

Yi Seong-gye Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

who became King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. Muhak was his Buddhist name (meaning "the uneducated"), while his real name was Jacho (자초). It is thought that Muhak's reputation as a

geomancer Geomancy (Greek: γεωμαντεία, "earth divination") is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand. The most prevalent form of divinatory geomancy in ...

influenced Yi's decision to move the capital from

Gaeseong 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 close to ...

to Hanyang (present-day Seoul). According to a historical account dating from 14th century,Yoon 2008 Yi Seong-gye asked Muhak to find a site for the new capital. After searching for a suitable place, the monk stopped and saw an old farmer passing by on his ox. The farmer pointed toward the northwest and said to him, wangsimni (往十里), literally meaning 'go ten more ri.' The startled Muhak went to the northwest as he was told and ended up at the southern foot of Mt. Bugak, where Gyeongbokgung now stands.

Wangsimni Station Wangsimni Station is a station on Seoul Subway Line 2, Seoul Subway Line 5, Gyeongui–Jungang Line, and Suin-Bundang Line; most Suin-Bundang Line trains end service here, though a few daily services continue along the tracks used by the Gy ...

on the Seoul Subway is named according to this record.

Shrine

One portrait of Muhak is enshrined in Josadong. This pavillon, located inside

Silleuksa Shilleuksa (also written as Silleuksa and Shilleuk-sa) is a Korean Buddhist temple situated against a low hill on the north side of the river Namhan, three kilometers east of Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, approximately one-hour southeast of Seoul. ...

, is used to pay tribute to the three Buddhist priests Jigong (d. 1363), Naong Hyegeun (c. 1320 – 1376) and Muhak (c. 1327 – 1405). This shrine is now the oldest remaining building of the founded circa 580 temple.

Disciples

* Gihwa (기화) 1376–1433

Television portrayals

* Portrayed by Ahn Gil-kang in the 2012 SBS TV series ''

The Great Seer ''The Great Seer'' (, also known as ''The Great Geomancer'') is a 2012 South Korean historical television series, starring Ji Sung, Ji Jin-hee, Song Chang-eui, Kim So-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji. Set during the turbulent decline of Goryeo, it is a ...

''. * Portrayed by Park Byung-ho in the 2014

KBS1 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

TV series ''

Jeong Do-jeon Jeong Dojeon (Korean: 정도전, Hanja: 鄭道傳, 1342 – October 6, 1398), also known by his pen name Sambong (Korean: 삼봉), was a prominent Korean scholar-official during the late Goryeo to the early Joseon periods. He served as the first C ...

''.

Notes

References

* 1327 births 1405 deaths Joseon Buddhist monks Goryeo Buddhist monks {{Buddhist-clergy-stub