Monday, June 11, 2012

JONGMYO SHRINE - UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

  “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”  Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

  For ten years, I occasionally wandered as a clueless tourist through Jongmyo, its countless trees creating one of only several green oases among the hackneyed asphalt and concrete jungle, home to 13 million souls. Paths just to the north of the shrines followed along the mini-forest’s rim; its gently inward slopes likely formed by hundreds of toiling hands who once shaped the terrain to reinforce the balance of natural elements and its allure of geomancy. The island of nature provided an artistic ying yang balance against the Joseon architecture of centuries past; the perfect place for a hobbyist photographer.
Mangmyoru Pavillion; Heaven and Earth Pond

  Yet this year, with the grand scale of the 1st Sunday in May Jongmyo Jerye, or Royal Ancestral Memorial Rites, a desire surfaced to understand the meaning behind the ceremony.  What accompanied an understanding of the rite’s Confucian roots, was a reprise that echoed from 18th Century Europe into 21st century Asia.  Some sound waves reverberated from proud spirits of Joseon centuries past into a modern cyber world of the Republic of Korea.  Some waves travelled across the DMZ to Pyongyang, where a similarly conceived worship of modern leaders is tarnished by the excesses of a “Communist” state, reminiscent of the intemperance of 18th century Paris.  Across space and time, ceremonies in both North and South shared a common purpose among many – a legitimization of political leadership.  Yet the common road diverged, leading to quite different endpoints.

The twists and turns of my own life, my family, emerged from the Korean War of sixty years ago, the unfortunate struggle to establish one northern dynastic vision over the southern  imperfect hopes for some form of human self-expression. Thus this blog is weighted toward exploration of Joseon origins; less on copied displays in the north. 

Jongmyo and its Jongmyo Jerye took root in the mind of Yi Seong-gye or King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Dynasty.  He moved his capitol south from Gaeseong to Hanyang – today’s Seoul.  In December 1394 he ordered Ch'oe Won, his director of government administration, to start building Jongmyo.  After completion ten months later, Taejo moved spirit tablets of four generations of his ancestors from Gaeseong to the new shrine. 
Note only one path:  for spirits only.  Entering the Moon Pedestal.
 
King Taejo envisioned a construct on which he could legitimize his family’s supreme position within the Hanyang capitol.  He encouraged the transition away from Buddhist traditions towards Confucian precepts. For the previous thousand years through the Gogureyo, Shilla then Goryeo dynasties, Buddhism existed throughout the Korean Peninsula and surrounding shores.  It influence on lives swelled and ebbed like tides on the Yellow Sea. During the mid-13th century resurgence of faith, the wooden Tripikata plates – some of the oldest print “type” – were carved. But with the lingering malaise of Mongol influence and political weakness of the dying Goryeo Dynasty, Buddhist monks became overly meddlesome in politics, adding to royal strife. General Yi Seong-gye’s influence grew into the early 1380s as he pushed Mongol remnants off the peninsula and repelled Japanese pirates.  Although tasks to take forces into China, he turned to defeat the ineffective King U.  After several years of shadowing subsequent puppet kings, he himself assumed the throne and founded a new dynasty.  During the 14th century Confucianism and Buddhism had coexisted.  With the new dynasty Taejo leveraged a regimen of social hierarchy to tighten his hold on the reins of power, and created Jongmyo as the theater where Confucian ceremonies played out five times yearly.

 Participant in Joseon Dress

Royalty made seasonal processions from the Gyeongbokung Palace .   Within the shrine they walked along special three-lane paths, king on one side, crown prince on the other, and spirits of past kings travelling the middle high road.  Past and then present parted.  The living royalty made their first stop at Mangmyoru, a wooden pavilion with tiled roof where they would rest prior to the ceremonies and reflect on the accomplishments of past kings.  The pond in front, made in 1443, has a round island representing heaven, surrounded by the square sides of earth.    At the next stop on the journey – Jaegung – the king and crown prince performed ablutions to purify body and mind.  They next entered the east gate of the shrine Jeongjeon, musicians entered from the west, honored spirit guests entered through the central main gate.

 Mangmyoru - a place for relaxation and reflection

One entered a plaza simple in decoration yet grand in scale and dynastic theatrics.  One climbed a few stairs onto the Woldae or moon pedestal – more than 100 meters long and wide. Here most performers played instruments or danced in unison.  Another set of stairs took officiates the highest plane, hosting within 19 identically constructed rooms, 49 spirit tablets of deceased kings and queens.

Plaza where sacrifices made, foods prepared for the ceremony.

Everything within the site – from the smallest morsel of food to the expansive plaza – has some symbolic meaning with universal Yin-Yang, a concept – like Confucianism – imported from China. Yin-Yang represents the combination of two forces – opposing but complimentary, unique but integrated. (Hard for dualistic Westerners to fathom.) Yin is dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak; yang is bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong.  Performers enter from the west gate and officiates from the east gate. The cool, dim moon pedestal lays a granite stone nexus between one world and another.  Participants vector into the site; performers enter the west gate, officiates enter from the east gate crossing the plaza, climbing steps to the platform and series of linked rooms housing the spirit tablets. This higher platform, itself dark and restful during periods between ceremonies, assumes its yang characteristics – thrusting upward beyond the moon, illuminated with candles, brightly polished brass ritual vessels.  From a huijun or brass oxen sitting on an outside table, or perhaps from a chakjun decorated with inscriptions implying that yang energy comes down to earth, celebrants make an initial offering of the sweet rice wine yeje to the expected honored guests of past kings and queens.  These spirits enter through the main south gate, expectant to participate in ceremonies of music, dance and reliving tales of their past grandeur; ready to partake in a ritual feast.  Here, raw fruits like almond, date and chestnut, dried items like slices of dried meat or fish, and red food items are all placed on the right side of the ritual table representing yang fiery, alive elements of sun, heaven and current souls.  White food items, fermented foods, pickled vegetables or any watery items are set on the left side of the table; representing ying elements of  earth, moon, death, spirits and gods.

Volunteer prepare brass vessels for the ceremonies.
Along with ceremonial food and drink to welcome august spirits past, jonmyo akjang fills the plaza.  Lines of musicians playing wooden flutes, pounding gigantic base drums and striking stone chimes provide a solemn largo-like tempo to which orators proclaim praises and artists dance with elongated, deliberate movements, all in unison.  All perform two major musical works: Botaepyeong and Jeongdaeeop.  Botaepyeong praise the civil works of the former kings, while Jeongdaeeop focuses on their military exploits. Botaepyeong is performed during the "first service" when the first cup of wine is offered, and Jeongdaeeop accompanies the offering of the second and third cups.  Boetaepyung is rather slow and calm as it represents the scholarly virtue of kings.  Ten booming sounds of large drums signal the beginning of the Jeongdaeup performance.   Dances are performed while holding symbolic objects in the dancers' hands: for the civil dance, two kinds of flute, the yak and jeok (the latter made from a pheasant feather), and for the military dance, a wooden sword and spear.
Musicians enter the plaza.

With the orchestrated performance, a light clicked within my foreigner’s brain.  The six hundred year-old ceremonies must have spawned the grand theater of political legitimacy in North Korea. As such, in some ways, the northern Kim Dynasties claim as the country’s political mantle has some plausibility, if only from a recidivist, regressive perspective.  The tightly choreographed movement of colorful gymnasts at an Arirang mass games in Pyeongyang echo synchronized mass movement in Jongmyo; all to the glory of the ruling dynasty.  Joseon rulers such as King Sejo maneuvered to limit political power of traditional yangban gentry, packing the ranks of bureaucracy with his own appointees.  Through the years, although by design, the appearance was that any hard charger could through his initiative and wit, enter the ranks as some civilian administrator, in fact, the cards were finally stacked in favor of the entrenched order.  The families that came to support the Joseon dynastic order had the best chances of adding sons to the line of bureaucrats.  Likewise, Pyeongyang perpetuates an established order. In the supposed workers' paradise of North Korea, inequality is assigned at birth. Education, job, access to food and health care, and even whom you marry all hinge on how loyal your forebears are viewed to have been to the Kim dynasty that took power six decades ago. The songbun system has its origins in social class restructuring enforced by the North's communist founders, led by Kim Il Sung, that began even before the state's formal creation in 1948, to elevate peasants and laborers at the expense of landlords, businessmen and religious leaders. Moving up a songbun category is rare and requires a lifetime of devotion to the Kim family regime and ruling Workers' Party of Korea. But songbun can be downgraded for political or criminal offenses or failing to cooperate with authorities. Today the loyal class alone lives in the relatively prosperous capital Pyongyang and monopolizes the prestige universities and best jobs; in turn they provide a sense of legitimacy and perpetuate dynastic rule through shared self interest. Much like the privileged insiders participated in Jongmyo ceremonies, welcoming past royalty back to their spirit tablets; the privileged of Pyongyang make pilgrimages to 20-meter-high bronze statues of the Eternal President Kim il-Sung and his newly immortalized son.  As do officiates at Jongmyo’s main memorial Yeongnyeongjeon , or Hall of Eternal Peace bow in front of spirit tablets; visitors to the  Kumsusan Palace of the Sun mausoleum bow to the left and rights sides of Kim il-sung’s heavenly lit statue.

     Hence, we return to the Tale of Two Cities analogy: the age of wisdom, of foolishness, of light, and of darkness.  Traditional political theater has its place, not in the enforcement of some dynastic rule, but in the modern sense, in remembrance of a colorful past.  For me, I would rather walk past officiates taking cell phone calls before ceremonies, jostling for position among countless camera-toting tourists, then walking into the evening lights of Seoul, ultimately sharing the personal freedom with citizens of a new order; rather than being bound to over 600 years of dynastic tradition.

     Ceremonies at Jongmyo, downtown Seoul, the first Sunday in May.  Guided tours offered.  Take orange subway line 3 or line 1 to Jongno-sam(3)ga (both line meet there).  Head northeast for 2 or 3 blocks.



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

National Museum of Korea

    Seven locations throughout Seoul have captured my imagination or energies for over a decade – Kyongbokung palace complex, Secret Garden, the UNSESCO World Heritage site Jongmyo, the artsy and traditional haunts of Insadong,  the miles of bikepaths rimming the Han River, the ancient lore recesses of North Mountain and the thousand plus years of history living in the National Museum of Korea.  Today’s blog travels to onto museum grounds and back to a time even before Buddha sought his path to Nirvana. 

     For about 1,100 won, one can ride the blue subway or Line #4.  Stop at Ichon, station number  430 . 

     Any day other than Monday, one can enter the museum free-of-charge.  In that the park surrounding the museum in open 24x7, you can stop by the area anytime, at least for a stroll past 7th century pagodas.  The time chosen to visit defines the wayfarer’s experience.  Choose  between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm  weekdays to experience the never-ending stream of school children passing by thousand year-old relics; the same period on weekends add the crush of families.  Yet by choosing between 6 – 9 pm on Saturday or 5 -7 pm on Sunday , one finds the museum magically transformed into a private gallery, with time to stop, photograph then ponder what lives gave form to  miniature golden Buddhas during the 7th century Three Kingdoms period.  Had some princess, with hair adorned with jade comma- or tear-shaped ornaments, wearing a flowing silk robe commissioned the little relics?




     Gaze upon the grand painting “Mountains and Rivers without End”.  Take a trip along the 18th century Joseon countryside.  Leave the sailboat moored along a Yellow Sea, travel through the misty countryside, ascending pine adorned mountains to where  Sanshin, or the ancient mountain spirit lives with his pet tiger.

     While standing by this ornament, ponder at what Shilla nobleman had once strolled through Gyeongju palaces wearing such a grand gold crown.  It has three tree-like prongs – likely mountains – and two antler-like prongs. As he walked, the jade tear drops danced and gold glttered, testifying to his political and social status.


     At the far-end of a marble veneer promenade rises a ten-story marble pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple.It has been called “Yakhwangtap pagoda,” because of its miraculous ability to cure disease. The pagoda endured the twists of history.  An inscription on the first story of the pagoda states that it was erected in the fourth year of the reign of King Chungmok, which was 1348. The ordeal of this pagoda started during the period of the Joseon Dynasty, when many Buddhist statues were damaged due to superstitions and government policies that made restrictions on Buddhist practices. Japanese invaders in 1907 whisked this treasure away to Japan, only to return it  11 years later, given pressures of media attention and public outcry.
     My favorites are the collection of Buddhas including a towering iron Buddah cast in the 10th century. Many a monk during the Goryeo Dynasty pondered the concept of dharma here.

     Gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva with Lotus Crown” is a national treasure.  The pensive bodhisattva is posed with its right leg crossed over its left knee, while its right hand touches its cheek, in deep meditation. The origin of Buddha statues of this style is the figure of Prince Siddhartha in contemplation pondering the four phases of life (birth, old age, sickness, and death).


     Find yourself at the museum outside visiting hours? No problem. Enjoy the magic.  An early August morning walk may take you past a lotus blossom like the one who adorned the Pensive Buddha. A lonely walk on a cold winter’s day might lead you to the encounter of the spirit of a student of Master Boje.
During a nighttime stroll, some scholars sitting under the gables of the celadon pagoda may invite you to share a few bowls of dongdongju. If your imagination does not conjure up such friendly invitation, show initiative by getting back on the subway, and travel downtown to an Insadong tavern.

Interested in finding out more about the National Museum of Korea? Visit the site: http://www.museum.go.kr/main/index/index002.jsp  or see more pictures at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/karl_wolfgang/sets/72157625245872797/






Sunday, February 26, 2012

Gyeongbokung Bound

     In Seoul one can blend into the flow of people passing by countless vendors in the Myeongdong shopping district; or one can travel back 600 years, wandering through palace grounds. In today's adventure, transport yourself to 15th century Gyeongbokung.

     To reach Gyeongbokung , take the Seoul Subway, Line 3 to stop 327. As you walk towards Exit 5, take time to visit the underground art gallery.

     One can stop to view either modern or traditional art.  Once the image of swimming goldfish drew me to a painting’s side, ultimately purchasing oriental art from a vendor.
     Emerging from the subway, one is drawn into a grand courtyard rimmed with granite and rose colored wood walls.  To the right is the main gate Gwanghwamun, with a double-roofed pavilion over three arched openings set in a high stone foundation. The king used the central arch, passing beneath a multi-colored phoenix.

     An adult admission fee of 3,000 won allows one to enter the world once reserved for royalty, scholars, statesmen and those who entertained the elite. The plebian have replaced the privileged.  Legions of foreign tourists armed with digital cameras invade the main courtyard. Korean school children listen fervently to teachers accounting the glory of the Joseon Dynasty then record the historical chronicles in the notebooks.  In early May, couples walk hand-in-hand along the waters surrounding Kyonghoeru or Pavilion of Joyous Meeting; young love as well as azaleas blossom.  During Autumn, artist set up easels to capture the two-tiered Hyangwonjeong Pavillion framed in red and golden leaves. Long gone are the seasonal blooms which gave rise to its namesake - “Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance”.

     Yet there are enough small courtyards and passageways that one can file solace, wandering away from the crowds, back to the age of ancestors.  Perhaps young Sejong played with some pet crickets among the crown prince compound of Donggung during the early 15th century, in the years before he met his destiny to promote science and agriculture, to commission the alphabet still used today. As one stops by one private quarters in Gangnyeongjeon, one expects to eavesdrop on a royal couple sharing intrigues while sipping on blossom tea.  


     Joseon Dynasty founder Yi Seong-gye commissioned construction of Gyeongbokung, or “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven” during the last years of the 14thcentury. It was a truly propitious place from a geomancy perspective; with North Mountain to the palace rear and South Mountain to its front. The site prospered as a center of government; holding over 500 structures. The site experienced waves of glory and tragedy, rebuilding followed mid-16th century fire, only to suffer from the Japanese Hideyoshi invasions of 1592-98. It was finally reconstructed by 1868, only to be dismantled during the Japanese occupation of the early 20thcentury. In 1989, the South Korean government started a 40-year initiative to rebuild the structures. Currently the project has restored about 40% of the structures.


    Gyeongbokung is a historical site holding museums.  The grounds house the National Folk Museum of Korea and National Palace Museum of Korea.  There one might stop to imagine some traditional court music before heading out the main gate, back to the 21st century and dinner in nearby Insadong.


For a colection of palaces and temples, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karl_wolfgang/sets/72157628103350498/
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