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Jowang-shin – The Fireplace King Spirit: 조왕신
Introduction One of the more uncommon figures you’ll find at a Korean Buddhist temple is Jowang-shin, or “The Fireplace King Spirit” in English. I have yet to see a shrine hall dedicated to this shaman deity; instead, where you’ll find Jowang-shin is in the kitchen area of a temple or hermitage. And even then, it’s very uncommon to see this shaman deity. In all of my travels, which includes nearly five hundred Korean Buddhist temples and hermitages, I’ve only come across three Jowang-shin murals. So who exactly is this figure? What’s it supposed to represent? And what do they look like? The History of Jowang-shin Traditionally, Jowang-shin was thought of…
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Haeseonam Hermitage – 해선암 (Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Hermitage History and Myths Haeseonam Hermitage is located in southeastern Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do in a deep valley fold north-east of Mt. Cheontaesan (631 m). Unlike all the other hermitages on this website, Haeseonam Hermitage is not Buddhist. Instead, it’s a shaman hermitage, which is made plain by the lack of shrine halls dedicated to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the ample shrines and shrine halls dedicated to a wide assortment of shaman deities. According to the local mudang (female shamans), Haeseonam Hermitage was once a prayer site for hundreds of years where Buddhist monks studied. Haeseonam Hermitage was a place where locals and fortunetellers came and prayed, as well. Specifically, Haeseonam Hermitage…