38°38′25″N 128°05′07″E / 38.6403°N 128.0854°E
Mahayonsa (Korean: 마하연사; Hanja: 摩訶衍寺)[1] was a Korean Buddhist temple located at Naegeumgang-ri, Kumgang-gun, Kangwon-do, North Korea. This structure was located at an altitude of 846m, the highest point of the Manpok-dong Valley of Mount Geumgang and was a branch hermitage of the Yujomsa temple.[2]
Paintings (Joseon period)
Mahayeon was depicted by several Korean painters. Among them:
- Kim Hong-do <마하연 (摩訶衍)> as #43 in the 《Geumgang Four Counties Album 금강사군첩(金剛四郡帖)》, 1788
- Kim Ha-jong, <마하연 (摩訶衍)> as #17 of the 《Haesando Album》, 1815
Japanese colonial period
The #12 (1932) of the "Joseon historical site walk" contains several views of each temple around Mt. Geumgang, Mahayeon among them.[3] Moreover, the area became a touristic destination, leading to the publication of illustrated guides.[4] These pictures taken during the Japanese colonial period are precious since many of these buildings are no longer extant.
Destruction
During the Korean war, the Bombing of North Korea dropped a total of 635,000 tons of bombs, including 32,557 tons of napalm, on Korea.[5] "Every installation, facility, and village in North Korea [became] a military and tactical target", and the orders given to the Fifth Air Force and Bomber Command was to "destroy every means of communications and every installation, factory, city, and village".[6] As a result, this hermitage has been destroyed by the US bombings of the area.[2]
References
- ^ Hwang, Dong-gyu (2023). "금강산 마하연사". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
- ^ a b Jogye 2011.
- ^ Choson walk 1932.
- ^ Tokuda 1930.
- ^ Armstrong 2010.
- ^ Conway-Lanz 2014.
Sources
- Sekino Tadashi (1916–1935). 朝鮮總督府, Japanese Governor of Korea (ed.). 朝鮮古蹟図譜 [Joseon historical sites walk]. 15 volumes.
- Tokuda Tomijirō (徳田富次郎) (1930). Mt. Kumgang of 12,000 peaks: Korea. Tokuda Photo Studio Main Store.
- Korean Buddhist Jogye Order Headquarters, ed. (2011). 북한의 전통사찰 A B 세트 [North Korean traditional temples]. 養士齋. ISBN 9788996665908.. 10 volumes, 2800 pages. What is said about Jeongyangsa can be accessed through this Naver link.
- Armstrong, Charles K. (2010-12-20). "The Destruction and Reconstruction of North Korea, 1950-1960" (PDF). The Asia-Pacific Journal. 8 (51): 1. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- Conway-Lanz, Sahr (4 August 2014). "The Ethics of Bombing Civilians After World War II: The Persistence of Norms Against Targeting Civilians in the Korean War". The Asia-Pacific Journal. 12 (37).