Wolmyeongsa Temple – 월명사 (Gijang-gun, Busan)

Temple History

Wolmyeongsa Temple is located in Gijang-gun, Busan in the eastern foothills of Mt. Ilgwangsan (385.3 m). According to legend, Wolmyeongsa Temple has been a place where people have worshipped since ancient times. However, there is no tangible proof to support this claim. The current Wolmyeongsa Temple was founded by Kim Beop-seong, who was a monk at Beomeosa Temple, in 1882. The temple was renovated in 1956. And ten years later, in 1966, the temple was rebuilt in its current form. Since 2011, Wolmyeongsa Temple has belonged to the Taego-jong Buddhist Order. The temple is one of 982 tradition temples in Korea.

Temple Legend

The “Legend of Wolmyeongsa Temple” is connected to Okhwang-sangje, or the “Jade Emperor” in English. The Jade Emperor is a prominent deity in East Asian beliefs. This is particularly true in Taoism. He is regarded as the ruler of the heavens, the earth, and all realms of existence, including the underworld.

According to this temple’s legend, the Jade Emperor had a daughter named Geum-ok. Geum-ok was well-versed in the laws of both heaven and earth and the intermingling of the two. And yet, she broke this heavenly law by falling in love with a strong, young man living on Mt. Ilgwangsan. The Jade Emperor was furious with his daughter, so he exiled her to Mt. Ilgwangsan, intending for her to reflect on her transgressions. However, Geum-ok continued to secretly meet with her lover every night.

The Jade Emperor grew increasingly angry, so he decided to punish his daughter even more severely. Yongwang (The Dragon King) received a command from the Jade Emperor to punish Geum-ok; however, Yongwang decided to spare Geum-ok out of pity. So instead of sending a lighting bolt down from Mt. Ilgwangsan to destroy Geum-ok, Yongwang sent a lightning bolt from Mt. Ilgwangsan down towards the ground below. This caused the mountain to split in two forming Mt. Ilgwangsan and Mt. Wolmyeongsan. In turn, this created a valley where Wolmyeongsa Temple was eventually built.

As a result, Wolmyeongsa Temple still holds a Yongwangje ceremony, a ceremony to celebrate Yongwang (The Dragon King), who spared Geum-ok’s life. The Yongwangje is held four times a year.

Temple Layout

From the temple parking lot, you’ll make your way north towards the main hall. Along the way, you’ll pass by some beautiful gardens and trees at Wolmyeongsa Temple. Nearing the Daeung-jeon Hall, you’ll first see a rocky outcropping with a statue of Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha) at its base. This colourful statue of Seokgamoni-bul is surrounded by a beautiful, fiery mandorla.

A little further along, and right next to the Daeung-jeon Hall to the right, you’ll find the temple kitchen and administrative office. As for the Daeung-jeon Hall, the exterior walls are adorned in simple Palsang-do (The Eight Scenes from the Buddha’s Life Murals), murals dedicated to Bohyeon-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Power) and Munsu-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Wisdom), as well as floral and white crane paintings.

Stepping inside the Daeung-jeon Hall, you’ll see a main altar surprisingly occupied by Amita-bul (The Buddha of the Western Paradise), Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion), and Daesaeji-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Wisdom and Power for Amita-bul). The reason that this is an unusual triad for a Daeung-jeon Hall is because a Daeung-jeon Hall is typically occupied by a main altar centred by Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha). To the left of this main altar triad is another triad. This time, this triad is centred by a seated image of Seokgamoni-bul and flanked by standing statues of Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife) and Gwanseeum-bosal. This triad is backed by a mural dedicated to the sixteen Nahan (The Historical Disciples of the Buddha). To the right of the main altar, you’ll find a beautiful Shinjung Taenghwa (Guardian Mural) with the face of Yongwang (The Dragon King) looking you squarely in the face. And hanging on the far right wall is a mural dedicated to Jijang-bosal. Rather uniquely, the image of Jijang-bosal appears in the upper portion of the altar mural surrounded by the Siwang (The Ten Kings of the Underworld). The lower portion of the painting, and this is where it gets unique, portrays the various punishments awaiting in the Buddhist underworld.

To the left of the Daeung-jeon Hall is the Chilseong/Sanshin-gak Hall. The exterior walls to this shaman shrine hall are adorned with murals of Dokseong (The Lonely Saint), various tiger murals including a dongja (attendant) pulling at the whiskers of a tiger, and another with Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit) riding a tiger with a pair of dongja. Stepping inside the shaman shrine hall, you’ll find a rather ordinary mural dedicated to Chilseong (The Seven Stars) to the left. With that being said, Bukseong (The North Star) has an enormous head, and both Ilgwang-bosal (The Sunlight Bodhisattva) and Wolgwang-bosal (The Moonlight Bodhisattva) face in on each other almost like they are pharaohs. To the right of this mural is a mural dedicated to Sanshin. In this painting, a waterfall is cascading to the left, the red pine seems regal in its proportions, and the accompanying tiger seems almost cartoonish.

The final shrine hall that visitors can explore at Wolmyeongsa Temple is to the rear of the temple grounds. There’s a large, new Yongwang-dang Hall. There are four dragon heads protruding out on either side of the signboard. Stepping inside the Yongwang-dang Hall, you’ll find a stone image of Yongwang inside a cave on the main altar. On either side of the cave’s opening, you’ll find reliefs of attendants looking towards Yongwang. To the left of the Yongwang-dang Hall, and on the hillside, you’ll find a slender five-story pagoda.

How To Get There

From the Ilgwang station, stop #K124, on the Donghae Line, you’ll need to take a taxi after going out exit #2. The taxi ride should be under 10 minutes, or 2.2 km, and cost you around 5,000 won (one way).

Overall Rating: 5/10

Wolmyeongsa Temple definitely has a modern feel to it, even though it’s purportedly quite old. It has one of the better legends connected to it, as well as one of the better Yongwang-dang Halls. Outside of these two factors, the interior of the Daeung-jeon Hall is unique, as are the murals surrounding the main hall. The paintings inside the shaman shrine hall are quite beautiful and unique, as well.