Chungnyeolsa Shrine (Tongyeong)

Chungnyeolsa is a shrine on a hillside in Myeongjeong-dong, central Tongyeong, that holds the spirit tablet of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was built by royal order in 1606, only a few years after the Imjin War, and for almost three centuries the commanders of the Three-Province Navy held its spring and autumn rites themselves. The Ming emperor's gifts to Yi, the Palsapum, a 300-year-old camellia and two old wells below the gate add layer upon layer of story.

A shrine kept by naval commanders

Because Yi fought his campaigns in the waters off Tongyeong, centred on Hansando Island, his tablet was enshrined here as well as at Chungnyeolsa in Namhae. The shrine was built in 1606 by Yi Un-ryong, the 7th naval commander, on the king's orders, and in 1663 it received the royal name plaque "Chungnyeolsa". With the naval headquarters next door, each commander in turn led the annual rites and added buildings over the generations.

After the naval headquarters was abolished in 1895, local Confucian scholars and residents formed associations to keep the rites going, and in 1919, prompted by the March First Movement, these merged into a society for the shrine's permanent preservation. A foundation now runs the shrine, which became a national Historic Site in 1973.

Around the grounds

Past the red gate, steps lead up through the main gate, the outer gate and the inner gate to the shrine itself.

• Ganghallu: the pavilion in front of the main gate, built in 1840 by the 172nd commander, Yi Seung-gwon.
• Outer gate: framed by stele pavilions on either side, it was considered handsome enough to appear on a postage stamp after liberation.
• Gyeongchungjae and Sungmudang: both built in 1695. Gyeongchungjae was a seowon academy that taught local boys learning and loyalty, and it survived Heungseon Daewongun's closure of the academies.
• East and west halls: built in 1670 by the 51st commander, Kim Gyeong, for officiants to purify themselves and to store offerings.
• Inner gate and shrine: the original buildings of 1606. The side doors of the inner gate are deliberately low so that people bow as they pass.
• Steles: the oldest is the shrine stele erected in 1681 by commander Min Seom.

The Ming emperor's gifts

When the Ming naval commander Chen Lin reported Yi's achievements during the Imjin War, the Wanli Emperor sent him a set of honours known as the Palsapum: a bronze seal, command tablets, two kinds of ceremonial swords, battle flags in red and blue, and curved trumpets – eight types, 15 pieces in all, every item except the seal in pairs. They were designated a Treasure in 1966. The exhibition hall, built in 1981, shows items linked to the Palsapum along with the memorial text King Jeongjo sent when he published Yi's collected works, and a folding screen of naval drills. The official heritage register lists Tongyeong City Museum as the current location of the original Palsapum, so check before you go if you want to see the originals.

The camellia and the Myeongjeong wells

The camellia in the grounds is about 6.3 m tall and roughly 300 years old, and is a protected provincial monument. Every year from December to April it bears strikingly red flowers; in the past, village girls floated its petals in water jars as an offering at fishing rites. Below the shrine are two wells, Iljeong (sun well) and Woljeong (moon well), together called Myeongjeong. Water from the sun well was used for the admiral's rites and water from the moon well by villagers, and the wells appear in Park Kyong-ni's novel "The Daughters of Pharmacist Kim".

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: March–October 09:00–18:00, November–February 09:00–17:00, open every day of the year.
• Admission: adults KRW 1,000, youth and soldiers KRW 700, children KRW 500; free for those aged 65 and over and for children 7 and under with a guardian.
• Parking: use the Chungnyeolsa public car park next door; cars pay KRW 1,000 for the first hour.
• Guided tours: volunteer guides must be booked at least three days ahead (055-650-0514).
• Time needed: 40 minutes to an hour covers the grounds and exhibition hall. Combine it with Sebyeonggwan Hall at the Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong naval headquarters, about 500 m away.
• Getting there: the shrine is about 4 km south of Tongyeong Bus Terminal by city bus or taxi, and a 10–15 minute walk from Jungang Market and Gangguan harbour.
• Events: a ceremony for Yi Sun-sin's birthday is held in spring, and a rite opening the Hansan Battle Festival in August.