Namhansanseong is a large scale mountain
fortress that Joseon Dynasty constructed for the war against Manchu Qing
dynasty in the 17th century which was systematically managed and operated for
over 300 years. It was part of the tactic to prepare a shelter for a small
sovereign state like Joseon to protect its dynasty and people against an empire
like the Qing. Namhansanseong was constructed on a rugged terrain nearby the
capital city of Joseon, currently Seoul, as an emergency capital for prolonged
wars. The fortress is placed at about 500m high above sea level, and is distant
about 25km away southeast from the center of Seoul. Utilizing the mountainous
terrain with steep slope and relative easy access from the capital is a
distinguishable character different from others in China and Japan whose
fortresses were commonly located on flat lands. Namhansanseong has been well
preserved to see the original form to this day.
Namhansanseong ensured the security of
Joseon Dynasty by offering shelter for the king and the people in wartimes. As
such, Namhansanseong was a planned emergency capital with over 4,000 residents
with military and administrative functions. For defensive purpose, the mountain
fortress was equipped with the Emergency Palace, Shrines for the royal ancestry
and deities of earth and grain and military facilities including the commanding
post. For administrative purpose, it was the seat of town administration, so
called Eupchi in normal times, lasting over 300 years from 1624 to 1917 when
the Gwangju County office moved to Gyeongan in 1917.
Royal_graveyard
In terms of urban planning, it had a
structure that was adapted to Korea in applying the old Chinese construction
record ‘Juryegogonggi (周禮考工記, Zhouli Kaogonggi,
Construction Principles of the Zhou Dynasty)’ which provided urban construction
principles for East Asian countries.
Namhansanseong made the best use of the
steep natural terrain as a mountain fortress constructed on a high plateau
encompassing the natural features of valleys and ridges called the Pogoksik
type. It is a fortress showing the original form and periodical development of
fortification in East Asia. It was originally constructed in 672 as Jujangseong
Fortress, and later was officially reconstructed in 1624 in preparation for the
Manchu Invasion of Korea. It underwent constant reinforcement and repair until
the 19th century.
Burial_mound
It was a battlefield where King Injo
withstood for 47 days over 100,000-strong Chinese force under Emperor Taizong
of Qing Dynasty in 1636. It withheld various foreign invasion forces as the
regional powers competed for hegemony during the transition of Ming and Qing
Dynasties in East Asia. The walls of Namhansanseong are the representative
walls that show the progress of fortress walls before and after the advent of
gunpowder artillery with outworks and bastions with embrasures against cannon
attacks after the second Manchu Invasion of Korea. In particular, the walls
have outworks (Ongseong), artillery bastions (Poru) and lookouts (Chi) not
found in East Asian fortification systems or in any other Korean fortresses. In
addition, it is a stone fortress that was constructed with the gneiss extracted
nearby. The parapets are made of grey bricks for shock absorption from cannon
attacks, and this was done in accordance with the opinions of the School of
Practical Learning who were much influenced by the Chinese.
The construction of Namhansanseong and the
installation of Gwangju administration office in 17th century are the first and
last examples that implemented the fortress town theory that dialectically integrated
the discussions on the mountain fortress superior theory and the walled town
reinforcement theory over several centuries. The various theories were the
result of discussions trying to satisfy the contrasting values of “protection
and residence,” “wartime and peace time,” and “national defense and daily
life.” The fortress town theory was the last theory that intended to integrate
discussions on the issue, and Namhansanseong was the first and last case
application of the fortress town theory in the Joseon Dynasty era.
Burial_area
Namhansanseong bears witness of the
exchange of important values of mankind and embodies intangible values. The
fortress was constructed by an army of Buddhist monks and managed for military
purposes with 10 temples for the Buddhist monk army (Seungyeong Sachal) which
were located inside the fortress for 300 years. In Joseon Dynasty where
Confucianism was accepted as the state ideology, the construction and
management of fortresses by Buddhist monks is indeed a rare and unique
combination of circumstance and occurrence in world history.
People have inhabited Namhansanseong since
its construction in the 17th century to this day and, over the years, the
intangible heritage of Confucianism, Buddhism, Catholicism and Shamanism has
been produced. The symbolic order of Joseon Dynasty, which had taken
Confucianism as its state ideology is manifested in the Emergency Palace,
Sungryeoljeon Shrine of King Onjo and General Yi Seo, and Hyeonjeolsa Shrine.
Buddhism contributed greatly to the management of Namhansanseong for about 300
years, operating the monk army headquarters and the monk army rotational
recruitment system (Uiseungbangbeonje).
The Buddhist temples were the first to be
destroyed during the Japanese colonial period in the early 20th century because
the Buddhist temples were thought to pose a threat as an arsenal against the
Japanese occupying forces. The currently remaining temples were reconstructed
after liberation from Japan in 1945. The town of Gwangju located inside the fortress
is where martyrdom took place as many Catholics died in protection of their
faith during the introduction of Christianity in the 19th century.
It was also the center of independence
movement and patriotic enlightenment campaign in the early 20th century.
Namhansanseong was a densely populated town and commercially active, a place
for exchange of various values of modern and traditional, Buddhist, Confucian,
and Christian, and it offers evidence of being a stage for exchange of
important values in the history of the world.
However, Namhansanseong started to decline
due to the intentional damage and reduction of its symbolism inflicted during
the Japanese colonial era, also due to subsequent negligence after liberation,
and the destruction of towns during the Korean War. Most of the wooden
structures within the fortress were damaged during the Japanese colonial era
and the Korean War. However, major structures of the Joseon Dynasty era within
the fortress grounds, such as the Chimgwejeong Arsenal, Sueojangdae West
Commanding Post, Yeonmugwan Pavilion for Command and Military Training and
Jisudang Pavilion, are still preserved and protected as designated heritage.
T-shaped _shrine
There are also many intangible heritage
that are safeguarded and have been handed down from generation to generation
such as sacrificial rites at the Cheongryangdang Shaman Shrine and Hyeonjeolsa
Shrine. Sanseong soju, the special liquor in the region, Hyojonggaeng hangover
soup, and Shamanistic exorcism called the Cheongryangdang Dodanggut attest to
the long and unique history that the fortress houses. In addition,
Namhansanseong is the only place in Gyeonggi-do where the colony of pine trees
originally planted by the residents still exists. It also has an exquisite view
of the landscape, which can be enjoyed in the pavilions with stone inscriptions
singing the beauty of the landscape.
Namhansanseong lies only 25km away from the
center of Seoul, the capital city during the Joseon Dynasty. The reason why
such a huge fortress was constructed near the capital city was to provide all
facilities necessary for resistance and defense in case of emergency for the
capital city. It was to provide protection for all the people inside the
fortress and not just the ruling class in emergencies. Compared with other
fortresses in Korea, Namhansanseong had sufficient water resource and an inside
basin large enough to accommodate plenty of people, all the necessary
facilities including an Emergency Palace, shrine of royal ancestors and an
altar for the deities of earth and grain needed in an emergency capital. In
this respect, Namhansanseong is unique and different from any other mountain
fortresses in Korea or abroad.
Geographically Namhansanseong is located on
a high flat top about 500m above sea level, which is surrounded by towering
mountains. This is called the Gorobong type terrain, and also called the
Pogoksik type which is topographically most ideal for constructing a fortress.
Utilizing the steep slopes as part of the ramparts it was possible to construct
walls following the natural curves of the ridges to maximize its defensive
capacity. It also enabled good communication with outside and enabled superior
transportation for supplies through the 16 auxiliary gates that were not easily
exposed to the enemy being located in mountainous terrain.
Ancestral _rites
Namhansanseong offers an advantage for
protection thanks to the fortress being located on a flat top with a long
natural terrain from east to west, surrounded by Cheongryangsan Mountain to the
west, Bulbong Peak to the east and Geomdansan Mountain to the south. Its large
Pogoksik flat top provides sufficient space for a good number of troops to stay
in emergencies. It also has a natural moat provided by Hangang River to the
north, Namhangang River to the east, Tancheon stream to the west and
Gyeongancheon stream to the south.
Namhansanseong has four gates in all four
directions: north, south, east and west. The east gate and south gate located
on relatively gentle slopes were used as the main traffic route in normal
times, whereas the west and north gates located on steep slopes were used as
military routes connecting to the Hangang River. Passage from the east gate
would lead to the south regions and passing the south gate would lead to the
southwestern regions or to the main roads connecting to Seoul.
The fortress has a '十'-shaped road network in which the north-to-south street meets the
east-to-west street in front of the Emergency Palace. This form of '十'-shaped street network still remains in the form of a rotary in
front of the palace.
Cheongryangsan Mountain to the northwest of
the fortress is the main guardian mountain of Namhansanseong, and therefore
Sueojangdae, the West Commanding Post stands in the northwestern part of the
fortress. There is a valley southeast from Cheongryangsan Mountain from which a
small stream runs out to the east gate. The east-to-west street connecting the
east gate to the town center is the main street which is divided into two
branches near the Jisudang Pavilion. The lower east-to-west street runs along a
small stream and the upper east-to-west street passes before Yeonmugwan
Pavilion for command and military training.
During Joseon Dynasty, the lower
east-to-west street became the main street of the residential area. The upper
east-to-west street was the center of the military and administrative district,
with Yeonmugwan and the administrative complexes. There are two important
public facilities, a market and a park in the open space lying between the
upper and lower east-to-west streets. These two streets were connected by
several small alleys. Today this area is occupied by a number of commercial
facilities such as restaurants and shops.