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Society > Koreana ]
 eoul is believed to be a site of a great fortune according to the theory of geomancy known as Pungsujiri. The city faces Mt. Bukhan and Mt. Gwanak, and is bisected by the Han River. The two mountains are believed to protect the capital city on its outskirts. Also close to Seoul is Mt. Yongma to the east, and Mt. Deokyang to the west. The four mountains are referred to as the “outside mountains,” and surround the city in a diamond shape.
The mountains located inside Seoul are Mts. Baeak, Tarak, Inwang and Mokmyeok. They are not only beautiful to behold, but also served as a defensive line whereby to protect the capital city in times past. For this purpose, fortified city walls were built along the ridges of the four mountains. Strictly speaking, the historic city of Seoul, formerly Hanyang is the area located inside the fortified walls. The city walls were built to protect Hanseongbu, a key government facility established at the beginning of the Joseon Kingdom.
Hanyang had four great gates facing the four cardinal directions and four smaller gates between them. There were eight gates all told. To enter Hanyang, the capital city of the Joseon Kingdom, a traveler had to pass through one of four great gates or four smaller gates.
What is noteworthy is that the each of four great gates bore one of Chinese characters of “In,” “Ui,” “Ye,” “Ji” and “Shin,” which refer to patience, loyalty, respect, wisdom and trust, the basic principles of human behavior according to the teachings of Confucianism. Sungryemun, also known as Namdaemun, the central gate, translates as “paying respect.” Dongdaemun was originally called Heunginjimun, which means “abundance of wisdom.” Seodaemun was called Donuimun meaning “loyalty”: and Bukdaemun was called Sukjeongmun meaning “modesty.” Reminding citizens and travelers alike of the principles of human behavior, the four great gates served as symbols of good luck to invite good fortune and expel evil spirits.
Yi Seong-Gye, King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Kingdom, chose Hanyang as the new capital of the kingdom. He then moved his court from Gaegyeong to Hanyang in 1394. It took 31 years - from the third year of the King Taejo through the fourth year of King Sejong - to complete the construction of the city. The castle and the gates were begun in 1396 (the fifth year of Taejo) two years after the relocation. The king himself toured the construction sites, a reflection of how carefully the construction would be planned and executed. The construction of the castle was completed in a year after it was launched in the fifth year of Taejo. The construction was carried out in the spring and fall of the year when almost 200,000 laborers worked feverishly for 98 days. The fact that the kingdom built the fortified walls some 18 kilometers in length in less than 100 days is regarded today as a stupendous feat of engineering. It also indicates how hard the kingdom pushed to complete the construction since it was considered a matter of the utmost urgency.
When the Japanese took control of Korea in 1907 and deposed King Gojong, they formed the so-called “City Wall Removal Committee” and began demolishing the ancient city walls. Luckily, however, Koreans managed to preserve two main gates: Sungryemun (or Namdaemun), and Heunginjimun or (Dongdaemun).
Sungryemun
Sungryemun, also known as Namdaemun, is the best known of the gates and a main gate of the six remaining. It was built soon after Hanyang became the capital city of the Joseon Kingdom and long served as a main gate for the city. It boasts a magnificent aspect and is located on the south side of Gyeongbok Palace, where the kings of Korea once lived. The gate is designated National Treasure No. 1. It was constructed in 1396 (the fifth year of King Taejo) and rebuilt in February 1398. It managed to remain intact for five centuries during foreign invasions such as Imjin Waeran (Japanese invasions) and Byeongja Horan (Chinese invasions). When it was first built, both ends of the gate were linked to the fortified walls, but they were demolished in 1908 to make way for road construction.
Sungryemun is the largest gate in the dapo style (Dapoyangsik) that is still extant. (Dapo is a building style featuring a number of columns decorated in a sophisticated manner). It has a typical wooden structure and is considered one of the nation’s major architectural heritage sites. It was Korea’s first dapo-style structure and boasts tall and graceful curves. It was not just merely a gate, but considered a national symbol. Due to the topography of its site, too much moisture accumulated at the base of the gate. In King Sejong’s reign, therefore, the base was reinforced with several layers of stones. A pond called Namji was also constructed to collect rainwater. Since the reinforcement, Namdaemun has maintained its magnificence and the integrity of its structure until today.
Heunginjimun
Heunginjimun, often called Dongdaemun, is located in Jeong-dong. The gate was built in 1396 (the fifth year of King Taejo) and reinforced in 1453 (the first year of King Dangjong). It was rebuilt in 1869 (the sixth year of King Gojong) in its present form, which is a little larger than the original structure.
 Construction of the gate was not easy. The ground was lower than the surrounding area and the site was located near Chungyecheon Stream, where all the rainwater runoff in the city converged. The outer part of the gate is in the shape of a half-circle, a rarely seen form, to defend the city from attack.
Heunginjimun was always more crowded than Namdaemun because there were open markets nearby.
The gate is basically a twostory building comprising five compartments on the front side and two compartments on the rear side. The roof takes a trapezoidal shape on the front. It has a number of columns and decorations beneath the roof. Thin and delicately decorated, they typically represent the late Joseon building style.
Sukjeongmun
Sukjeongmun was built in 1396 (the fifth year of King Taejo) as one of the four main gates of Hanyang, the capital city of newly founded Joseon Kingdom. After being used as a passageway leading to Yangju and Goyang in Gyeonggi Province for 18 years, however, it was shut down completely. This was because it was considered that with the gate open, an evil spirit could easily flow into the city and imbue the young women with strong feelings of sexual desire. It was believed also that since the gate was located between Mt. Bukak, which embraced Gyeongbok Palace, and Mt. Eungbong, which was said to protect Jongmyo (the tombs of royal families), allowing it to remain open was an insult to the majesty of the king since the common folk were allowed to walk on the gate’s paved road.
Although the gate remained closed for most of time, it was used for purposes other than passage. In the belief that (another) evil spirit brought the heavy rains, concerned citizens held a ritual at the gate during the monsoon season to pray to the gods for the return of the sun.
Donuimun
Donuimun was built in 1396 (the fifth year of King Taejo) as one of the four main gates. It was located on a hill leading from Sajik-dong to the site of the present symbolic Dongnipmun Gate (Independence Gate, constructed in 1898). It was rebuilt in 1711 (the 37th year of King Sukjong) but removed in 1915 when the occupying Japanese administration expanded the roads.
Donuimun was looked on as a shortcut leading to the Gyeongui paved road, and travelers arriving from Pyeongyang and Uiju entered the city through the gate. Chinese emissaries often used the gate, also. It was through the gate that a mob passed, inspired by Japanese instigators to kill Queen Myungsung, Korea’s “Last Empress.” During their occupation, the Japanese later sold the wooden materials and bricks used to build the roof of the gate.
The gate had a rainbow-shaped passageway at its center, featured a one-story roof and was surrounded by a low fence. No trace remains of the gate today.
 The Four Minor Gates
When the King Taejo built the four main gates, out of convenience he also ordered the construction of four smaller gates between them. Further, he named the four small gates to the east, west, south and north as yehwamun, Souimun, Gwanghimun and Changuimun respectively. With the exception Souimun, three are still remaining. Gwanghimun means “a gate of bright light,” and Hyehwamun means “distribution of wisdom.” Changuimun means “revelation of justice to the world,” and Souimun means “the promotion of justice among the general public.”
Hyehwamun
Hyehwamun, also called Dongsomun, was built between East Gate and North Gate. It was rebuilt in 1684 (the tenth year of Sukjong) and kept intact until the later years of the Joseon Kingdom. The Japanese destroyed the gate, however, to lay a railway between Hyehwa-dong and Donam-dong. The gate served as a major passageway to Yangju and Pocheon, since North Gate was not open to the general public. The roadway through the gate was decorated with images of phoenixes, whereas others were decorated with images of dragons. It was said that purpose of the phoenix images was to scare away the flocks of birds that often plagued the area.
Souimun
Souimun, also known as Seosomun, was used to carry the remains of the deceased out of the city as well as to serve as a general public passageway. Seosomun Park was where condemned prisoners were publicly executed. Those found guilty of serious crimes such as treason were brought to the park where they were put to death by having their throats cut. Ministers who refused to cooperate with Suyang Daegun, later King Sejo, who seized the throne after killing his young nephew King Dangjong, were put to death near the gate. Souimun can only be seen now in old photographs since Japanese occupation forces demolished it in 1914 according to their city reconstruction plan. It is said that the gate was taller than the fortified wall and had a passage way called Hongyemun. No trace of Souimun/Seosomun remains, either.
Gwanghimun
Gwanghimun, also called Sugumun, was built between South Gate and North Gate. It was also used as a passageway for the removal of human remains, through which the funeral parades passed to bury the dead outside the city. In early years of the Joseon Kingdom, residents used Gwanghimun to go to the Han River ferry. It was inconvenient, however, since the distance involved was considered far. For this reason, Namsomun was built near the Namsan Tower Hotel of today. There were two small gates in the south, therefore. According to the records of the reign of King Sukjong, the king ordered royal forces to rebuild Gwanghimun in 1711 (the 37th year of Sukjong). Only the stone-paved passageway of the original gate remains; it is not known when the greater part of the structure was removed. The remaining part was rebuilt in 1975 as a part of the fortified wall reconstruction project.
Changuimun
Changuimun is also called North Gate or Jahamun. It was a passageway leading to Bukhan and Yangju. In 1416 (the 16th year of King Taejong), the gate was shut down according to Pungsujiri theory, which claimed that the passage of people through the gate might cause harm to the king. It was reopened in 1506 (the first year of Jungjong). The insurrectionary force led by Neungyang Gun (later King Injo) passed through the gate to overthrow the government. The gate was burned during Imjin Waeran (Japanese Invasions) and rebuilt in 1740 (the 16th year of King Yeongjo). Changuimun is the only small gate that remains intact today
Shin Jung-A
(sjah1113@hanmail.net)
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