Chairman
"This temple was named so, because it was a place where memorial services for Tangun, his father and his grandfather were held."
Samsong Temple (Temple of Three Saints) is located in Mt. Sojung, 2.4 km away from the east of the site of Phaeyop Temple in Mt. Kuwol in South Hwanghae Province.
It was the temple where memorial services for King Tangun, founder of Korean nation, his father Hwan Ung and his grandfather Hwan In was held.
The temple has a long history, but the exact date of its building has been unknown so far. However, the geography book of Koryosa (History of Koryo) wrote that "Originally it was Kwolgu of Koguryo, and renamed as the present name in the early days of Koryo Dynasty. It has Mt. Kuwol (it has been known as Mt. Asadal), Jangjangphyong (it has been known as the site King Tangun chose as the capital, that is, Tangjanggyong was handed down wrongly) and Samsong Temple (a shrine of Tanin, Tanung and Tangun)."
The record shows that the temple was built before the early days of Koryo Dynasty.
The geography book of Sejong Sillok (Chronicles of King Sejong) wrote that the temple of Mt Kuwol was in Mt. Sojung in Songdang-ri.
From early days, Korean ancestors worshiped Tangun, founder of the nation, and held memorial services for him, and from the late period of Koryo Dynasty, they held memorial services for his father Hwanung and his grandfather Hwanin together.
Once, in the early period of feudal Joson Dynasty, the shrine of the temple was moved to Pyongyang-bu and the temple was pulled down by the order of the king so as to hold memorial services for Tangun in Pyongyang, the old capital of ancient Korea, arousing national interest. However, the temple was rebuilt by the efforts of the people in early 15th century, and since then the nationwide memorial services had taken place in spring and autumn almost every year until the early 20th century. At that time when memorial services was held, the king sent incense and a ritual prayer to it and the county magistrate or his deputy was in charge of the service. Sometimes the king sent his close associates to hold a memorial service.
Not only national memorial services but also many people worshiped Tangun as founder of the nation, and held memorial services for him at Samsong Temple, as done at Sungryong Temple in Pyongyang.
In modern ages, Samsong Temple was further regarded as a sacred place among the believers of Taejong faith as the sacred place where Tangun ascended the Heaven.
When the Japanese imperialists took a repressive measure of closing school gates, Ra Chol (1863-1916), who founded Taejong faith, died for his belief at the temple, leaving behind his will.
Like this, the temple has a long history as it was the shrine where Korean people worshiped and held memorial services for Tangun from time immemorial.
The temple was burnt down owing to the enemy's bombing during the Fatherland Liberation War(Korean war from 1950 to 1953).
In his lifetime, President
True to his last instructions, Koreans restored Samsong Temple to its original state in a short span of time.
The reconstructed temple consists of the main building Samsong Shrine, Yongbin and Yanghyon halls on its left and right, a memorial-service building and a lodging house standing below right opposite to them, and a gate with a gable roof.
The front gate of the temple, which is on the stairs, is 6.9 m in front and 3.2 m in flank. On the top of the gate is a hanging board writing Samsong Temple(三聖祠). The open compound is behind the front gate, and Samsong Shrine to its back.
The shrine is a hip-saddle roofed house which is three kans (10.5 m) in façade and three kans (7.5 m) in flank. It has pot-bellied and tugongs (decorative supports between pillars and roof) of 5 pho (Korean unit: one piece). Portraits of Tangun, his father and grandfather and their memorial tablets are hung in the shrine, and the altars are laid before them respectively.
Yongbin Hall is a hip-saddle roofed house which is four kans (11.1 m) in front and two kans (5.4 m) in flank. Its pillars are pot-bellied. Its name means it is the house receiving the guests.
Yanghyon Hall is also a hip-saddle roofed house which is symmetrical about Yongbin Hall.
The lodging house is the one where visitors to the temple eat and sleep, with a hip-saddle roof, which is three kans (12 m) in front and one kan (5.1 m) in flank. And the memorial-service building is a hip-saddle roof house which is four kans (12 m) in front and one kan (5.1 m) in flank.
Today, Samsong Temple makes a great contribution to educating people in patriotism as one of the historical buildings restored to the original state in the era of the Workers' Party of Korea and a national heritage to be handed down to posterity.
