Hwaamsa Temple, Wanju

Deep in a valley of Bulmyeongsan Mountain in Wanju, a small temple sits on a rocky ledge above a waterfall, almost tucked out of sight. Hwaamsa is modest in size, yet it holds the only building in Korea that still uses the ha-ang bracket system: Geungnakjeon Hall, a National Treasure. You reach it after a walk of about 20 minutes up the valley and a climb of 147 iron steps, and for many visitors that approach is half the reason to come.

A temple like a flower on a rock

According to the temple records, Hwaamsa was founded in 694 by the monk Ilgyo, in the reign of King Hyoso of Silla, and the scholar Seol Chong is said to have studied here. In the early Joseon period the general and calligrapher Seong Dal-saeng (1376–1444), grandfather of the famous loyal official Seong Sam-mun, funded a major rebuilding. The sutras he copied while staying at Hwaamsa were later carved into printing blocks several times, which made the temple an important centre of Buddhist printing in early Joseon. Records found during the 1981 dismantling and repair showed that today's Geungnakjeon was rebuilt in 1605, after damage during the Japanese invasion of 1597.

Geungnakjeon and the ha-ang

A ha-ang is an extra slanting member set under the eaves that works like a lever, carrying the weight of long, deep eaves. The technique is common in Chinese and Japanese architecture, but in Korea only Geungnakjeon has survived with it, which is why the hall was upgraded from Treasure to National Treasure in 2011. It is a three-by-three-bay hall with a gabled roof. Look up at the corners of the eaves and you will see the ha-ang members carved as dragon heads. Because they get in the way, the name board could not be hung as a single plaque, so the three characters of the hall's name were made and hung separately.

What to look for in the courtyard

• Uhwaru Pavilion (Treasure): the pavilion that closes off the entrance. At most mountain temples you walk under the pavilion into the courtyard; here the ground floor is closed, so you go round by the stone steps at the side.
• The tight courtyard: Geungnakjeon, Uhwaru and the monks' quarters crowd closely around a small square yard. Stand in the middle and look up: all you see is a square of sky framed by rooflines.
• Cheoryeongjae: a one-bay shrine to the left of Geungnakjeon holding the memorial tablet of Seong Dal-saeng. Its name board was written by the late Joseon scholar-artist Sin Wi (pen name Jaha).
• Bronze bell: cast by the monk Hoyeong in the reign of King Gwanghaegun. Legend says it rang by itself whenever misfortune threatened the temple or the country.

The poet's temple

Hwaamsa owes much of its fame to the poet Ahn Do-hyun. In the 1997 collection Geuriun Yeou (The Fox I Miss), his poem "Hwaamsa, My Love" calls it a temple that has "aged well", and readers have been seeking it out ever since. Along the iron staircase, signboards and lines of poetry turn the climb into what the temple calls "147 steps of poems, pictures and stories". With no shops or stalls below the temple, the scene has changed little since the poem was written.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: from National Route 17 between Jeonju and Geumsan, turn off towards Gyeongcheon-myeon and follow a narrow village lane to the Jeolgol car park. The lane is tight, so watch for oncoming cars. Public transport is impractical; come by car or taxi.
• The walk: it is less than 1 km from the car park to the temple, but the path follows a stream and ends with the iron stairs. Trails run on both sides of the valley and meet halfway, so you can go up one way and down the other. Wear shoes with good grip.
• Time needed: allow 1.5–2 hours for the walk and the temple.
• Best time: yellow Amur adonis flowers line the valley path in February and March, followed by purple Korean dogtooth violets in March and April. The area is being developed as a wildflower eco-tourism site, and the flower patches are fenced off from the trail, so please stay on the path. In summer the waterfall is at its fullest; in winter icicles hang from the cliff.
• Etiquette: monks still practise here. Keep your voice down in the courtyard and do not take photos inside the halls.