A displaced national shrine
On the slopes of Inwangsan, a 338-meter granite peak in central Seoul, stands the Guksadang, one of Korea's most significant shamanic shrines. Designated as National Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 28, the Guksadang is a center for gut, the rituals performed by shamans (mudang) to connect with the spirit world. The air is often thick with the scent of incense and offerings of food and alcohol left for the gods. Inside, the walls hold 21 paintings of shamanist deities, including the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, King Taejo, and his advisor, the monk Muhak. These paintings, some believed to be from the early 19th century, are rendered on silk and provide a valuable record of shamanic iconography.
The shrine's location is a direct result of 20th-century history. The original Guksadang was built in 1395 on Namsan Mountain to protect the new Joseon capital. In 1925, Japanese colonial authorities dismantled it to build their own Shinto shrine on the site. The Guksadang was then rebuilt at its current location on Inwangsan, a mountain long considered sacred and a place where King Taejo himself had prayed. The building itself is a simple wooden structure, measuring three kan (the space between pillars) across the front and two kan deep, with a distinctive gable roof.
Landscape of granite and spirits
The Guksadang is not an isolated site; it is the center of a sacred area. The mountain itself, with its unique granite formations, is central to the rituals. The most prominent formation is Seonbawi, or Zen Rock. This massive boulder resembles a robed monk in meditation and has long been a place where women pray for fertility. Shamans conduct rituals throughout the mountain, using the natural rocks as altars. The sounds of their drumming and chanting are a regular feature of the trails.
This continuous use of a specific landscape for ritual purposes connects modern ethnography with archaeology. While the rituals are intangible, they are anchored to the mountain's geology and leave behind material traces like food offerings and prayer papers. The entire mountain acts as a living artifact. For decades, this access was restricted. Following an infiltration by North Korean commandos on January 21, 1968, the mountain was closed for military security and only fully reopened to the public in 1993. Today, hikers on the restored Seoul City Wall, which snakes over the mountain, walk past these active ritual sites, creating a unique intersection of history, religion and city recreation.