Jongno We Go

Jongmyo is the oldest and most authentic of the Confucian royal shrines to have been preserved. Dedicated to the forefathers of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), the shrine has existed since the 16th century and houses tablets bearing the teachings of members of the former royal family. Ritual ceremonies, music, song and dance still take place there, continuing a tradition that goes back to the 14th century.

We had to ask for some help to find the shrine upon dragging ourselves up the steep stairs of the #7 exit at Jongno san 3 station. The neighborhood is old and by the looks of the winding streets very difficult to navigate if new to the area. We  delicately interrupted a group of people discussing the purchase of a ceremonial drum in a store we chanced upon. Once one of the gentleman understood where we wanted to go, he quickly ushered us on our way and escorted our party to the gate of the temple.

We wandered in the gate but noticed all of the doors were closed and locked. We had almost given up on viewing the shrine when I happened upon an old woman who was tending the garden in the back of the temple. I did my best to ask if we could visit the shrine. She took a look at my children in tow and smiled at me. She waived her hand to follow her and we went up to the third floor of the shrine through a series of dimly lit hallways and old wooden doors with rounded edges from generations of tender hands pulling them open and closed. On the landing of the third floor was a wall of shoe boxes and the old woman gestured for us to remove our foot wear.  We quickly removed our shoes tucking them silently into the wooden slots and walked quietly into the main room of the temple. 

I quickly gave a stern look to the kids to ensure they understood that we were to observe and not be heard.An older gentleman and woman were seated on the floor.  They suddenly rose only to bow and again set on the floor. They then slid forward in a bowing motion and again repeated the process three times. After that they sat silently for a while. Not long after becoming silent they started chanting prayers. The rhythm of the chants was very cerebral, intoxicating, and surreal. 

Mina and Cooper were sitting on the floor. Cooper was sitting crossed legged and seemed to be transfixed, while Mina I noticed was taking a moment to pray and show respect to her ancestors. 

Once the older couple left, we took the opportunity to take some photos and make an exit from the temple main floor. 

Both the inside and outside of the temple were very detailed and hand painted. There were large murals on the outside and the care taken to paint the trim was no doubt very painstaking. 

On the grounds of the temple we found several granite stone carvings of turtles and dragons. 

The trip to the temple was a lot of fun and we all had a good time. We noticed a heavily reinforced wall along the back of the temple and were further intrigued as to what the purpose of the wall was for. 

We also noticed some very traditional type houses of old Korea and decided to do a little more investigating of the area. 

We are glad we kept walking along the fortified wall as we stumbled upon the oldest King's fortress of Korea, and took a look inside the compound. 

The building below was the incense storage warehouse and also a place where offerings were brought to be presented to the King's ancestors.

The picture below represents what the entourage of the King's court would have looked like.

Common offerings to the King's shrine and ancestors.

This is the entrance to the King's bathing area, and where he might have taken a break during the day. His carriage was also stored in this area.

A panoramic view of the court area.

Jongmyo is a shrine housing the spirit tablets of the former kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty. The shrine is a symbolic structure that conveys the legitimacy of the royal family, where the king visited regularly to participate in the ancestral rites to wish for the safety and security of the people and state. Jongmyo is the oldest and most authentic of the Confucian royal ancestral shrines, with a unique spatial layout that has been preserved in its entirety. It was originally built in the late 14th century, but was destroyed during the Japanese invasion during the 16th century, and was rebuilt in the early 17th century with a few expansions made to the buildings thereafter.

The raised area below is where food was brought to be inspected prior to display in the main area or altars.

Ancient drains built of granite

This raised area is where animals to be scarified were brought to be inspected.

The well used to draw water for the King's castle area.

The Castle kitchen area

These steps are made of granite. Weather and time have worn them down.

There were four or five large iron rings on the floor of the main floor. Not sure what they were for, but they were very well rafted and still solidly placed in the granite.

The original location had 19 rooms for ancestral and spirits ascribed tablets. Once they ran out room, a new and identical court and storage area was constructed.

We had blast and took about 3 hours to tour the castle grounds. We will come again in the future with a better camera and will pack a picnic lunch. We look forward to imagining what it must have been like to be here when this place was a bustling compound in support of the country and King.