Hyeonchungsa Shrine

The weather has been beautiful and David and I have been itching to get out of the house, so yesterday we went to Hyeonchungsa Shrine in nearby Asan.  "This place holds two historic places: the old house of Admiral Yi Sunsin where he lived after getting married; and the shrine built for him in memory of his meritorious deeds.  It is here that he also practiced martial arts for then years, and passed the state military examinations at the age of 32."  Hyeonchungsa means "a shrine dedicated to one's patriotism".

Some of the cannons used to fight the Japanese 

There were essentially fireworks attached to these arrows.

They would shoot them at ships (or people) and they would pierce the object and then explode.

Admiral (Chungmugong) Yi Sunsin

"Yi Sunsin is a Korean hero, who led the Joseon Korean navy and saved the homeland from the brink of collapse during the Jaapanese invasions of 1592.  Having predicted the Japanese invations in advance, (he) built the Turtle ships (Korean warship).  Once the war started, Admiral Yi saved his homeland and people by leading all his naval engagements to victory with unshakable loyalty, brilliant tactics, and invincible spirit.  (He) achieved a truly legendary naval record.  His greatness, however, lies not in mere battle figures, but rather in the great and noble sacrifice which he made for his country." 

These were some crazy big swords!  They are longer than David is tall! 

A turtle ship model 

Chungmu Gate 

One thing that Korea never disappoints in is their beautiful grounds and gardens at their monuments and parks. 

I was really hoping to get a nice picture of the 3 kids together, but the littlest one doesn't want to stand still anymore! 

"You want me to climb up where?" 

"I guess I'd better get started." 

This is what cemeteries look like in Korea.

This one is the burial grounds of Admiral Yi Sunsin's decendents. 

The house of Yi Sunsin 

The main shrine

This building holds Admiral Yi's portrait and a painting showing the ten most improtant events of his life. It was built in 1966.

Naomi making a new friend. 

More stairs... 

The ceiling of the shrine 

It was a beautiful view looking out over the valley. 

The original main shrine

This was built in 1706 as an ancestral memorial hall.  This shrine was closed in 1868 and then reopened in 1932 thanks to the efforts of a preservation committee.  The signboard hanging is the original one bestowed by King Sukjong. 

Another friend

Although the shrine did not mean a lot to us, it was nice to get out and learn a little more about Korean History and enjoy the beautiful day.  And I can even count it as a field trip for school as we are studying Korean Culture this month in the homeschool group - and David said no school on the weekends... :)