Jincheon Gilsangsa Shrine

The name sounds like a Buddhist temple, but the "sa" in Jincheon Gilsangsa is not the character for temple (寺) but for shrine (祠). It is a shrine holding the portrait of General Kim Yu-sin (595–673), who was born in Jincheon and led the unification of the Three Kingdoms. In 1975 it became North Chungcheong Province's Monument No. 1. It sits on the slopes of Dodangsan in Byeogam-ri, Jincheon-eup, and the path from the red gate up to the shrine is covered in cherry blossom in spring and ginkgo leaves in autumn.

The story of the shrine

Kim Yu-sin was the son of Kim Seo-hyeon, governor of Mannogun (today's Jincheon), and became a hwarang, a member of Silla's elite youth corps, at 15. In 660 he rose to the highest court office, sangdaedeung, and with Tang China brought down Baekje; as commander-in-chief in the campaign against Goguryeo he laid the groundwork for unification. After his death he was given the posthumous title King Heungmu. Jincheon is where he was born and grew up, so sites linked to him are scattered across the county, and his birthplace and placenta burial site are a designated Historic Site.

Under Silla and Goryeo, the state held rites in spring and autumn at a shrine below Taeryeongsan, where he was born; under Joseon the local magistrate took them over. The shrine fell into ruin during the Japanese and Manchu invasions. A new shrine, Jukgyesa, was built in Baekgok-myeon in 1851, only to be pulled down in 1864 when the regent Heungseon Daewongun closed private academies and shrines. Descendants rebuilt it in 1866, but a flood destroyed it in 1922. In 1926, thanks to the efforts of descendant Kim Man-hui, Gilsangsa was built on its present site, taking its name from Gilsangsan, the old name of Taeryeongsan. It was repaired in 1959 after the Korean War and took its current form in a restoration project in 1975.

What to see

• Red gate and ginkgo path: pass through the red hongsalmun, the gate that marks the entrance to a sacred place, and follow the ginkgo-lined path up to the outer gate and the Jinhomun gate. The steps are steep enough to leave you a little out of breath.
• Heungmujeon: the main hall, five bays wide and two deep, under a hip-and-gable roof. Inside hangs a portrait of Kim Yu-sin painted by Chang Woo-soung, enshrined in 1976.
• Stone monuments: the outer courtyard holds a memorial stele to King Heungmu erected in 1957 (text by Yi Seon-geun, calligraphy by Kim Man-hui), the inner courtyard a stele recording the general's deeds from 1976 (text by Yi Eun-sang, calligraphy by Kim Chung-hyun), and by the entrance stands a stone marking the shrine's rebuilding from the same year.
• The view: follow the path beside the outer gate up the slope and you can look over the tiled roof of Heungmujeon to Jincheon town.

Tripto tips

• Admission: entry and parking are free. There is a large car park at the entrance and a small parking area right in front of the shrine.
• When to go: the cherry trees form a tunnel in early April, and double-flowered cherries follow from mid to late April. In late October and early November the ginkgo path turns yellow. Blossom weekends get busy, so weekday mornings are calmer.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for the shrine and the paths around it.
• Combine with: Jincheon also has Kim Yu-sin's birthplace and placenta burial site, a designated Historic Site, and the Nongdari stone bridge, said to date from Goryeo, is not far either. Together they make a good day out.
• Getting there: the shrine is close to Jincheon town centre; get off at the "Gilsangsa" bus stop on Munjin-ro and walk up.