JONG

Visitor Information
157 Jong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-400 / jm.cha.go.kr / 02-765-0195
JONGMYO SHRINE
Guided Tours Korean 09:20, 10:20, 11:20, 12:20, 13:20, 14:20, 15:20, 16:20,
(17:00 Mar. ~ Sep.)

MYO
Japanese 09:00, 09:40, 10:40, 11:40, 12:40, 13:40, 14:40, 15:40,
(16:40 Mar. ~ Sep.) 1392 Taejo Yi Seong-gye founds the Joseon Dynasty
English 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 Posthumous titles bestowed on four generations of Taejo’s ancestors
Chinese 11:00, 15:00 1395 Jongmyo Shrine founded
Closed Tuesdays. Jeongjeon Hall constructed with seven chambers

SHRINE
Hours of operation: 09:00 ~ 18:00 (Mar. ~ Sep.) / 09:00 ~ 17:30 (Nov. ~ Jan.) and two side rooms on either side
The ticket booth closes one hour before closing of the Shrine.
Jongmyo is allowed to enter only with an hour guided tour 1421 Yeongnyeongjeon Hall constructed with six chambers
on weekdays/Sundays.
Visitors can see the shrine without a guided tour on Saturdays. 1546 Jeongjeon expanded to 11 chambers
Guided tours in foreign languages are allowed only 1592 Jongmyo burned down during the Japanese invasion
for foreigners and those Korean accompanying foreigners.
Admission and guided tours are subject to change. 1608 Jeongjeon rebuilt with 11 chambers and
No smoking, pets, food or inmammables. Yeongnyeongjeon with 10 chambers

Admission Adults (19 and over): 1,000 / Children: 500

ENGLISH 1667 Yeongnyeongjeon expanded to 12 chambers

1726 Jeongjeon expanded to 15 chambers

Transportation Subway: Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 1, Exit 11; Line 3, Exit 8; Line 5, Exit 8)
Bus: Blue Bus 100, 103, 143, 150, 160, 201, 260, 262, 270, 271, 273, 1836 Jeongjeon expanded by four chambers to 19 chambers
370, 708, 710, 720, 721 Yeongnyeongjeon expanded by four chambers to 16 chambers
Green Bus 7212
Red Bus 1001, 9301 1995 Jongmyo inscribed on UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List
For details refer to the City of Seoul web page (http://bus.seoul.go.kr).
2001 Jongmyo Jerye and Jongmyo Jeryeak selected by UNESCO as
Combined Cultural Heritage Administration presents a combined viewing package Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Viewing Package to provide convenient tours to 4 Palaces and the Jongmyo - Royal
Ancestral Shrine
Combination View Locations: 4 Palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeok-
gung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung) and the Royal Ancestral Shrine
Combination Ticket Price: 10,000 ( 14,000 if purchased separately)
Where to Purchase Tickets: The ticket oflce at any of the 4 Palaces or at
the Royal Ancestral Shrine
Expiration Date: 1 Month after purchase
 Services Jongmyo Shrine Zone Numbers

Admission Hyangdaecheong and Vicinity

Toilet Jaegung and Vicinity

Jeongjeon and Vicinity

Yeongnyeongjeon and Vicinity

Jeonsacheong and Vicinity

Yeongnye
ongjeon

Yeongn
yeongj
eon A
kgongc
heong Jeonsacheong

Subokb
ang Jejeong
Jeongjeon
Chilsadang Seongsaengw
Chanmakdan i

Gongsindang

Jeongjeon Akgongcheong

Eojaesil

Eomyogyo
kcheong
Sejajaesil

cheong
Hyangdae

ang Sindang
Gongminw
ru
Mangmyo

Oedaemun

Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation funded the design of this miniguide | design 2x4, ahngraphics
Jongmyo Shrine
Jongmyo is the supreme state shrine where the ancestral tablets of deceased kings and queens
are enshrined and sacrificial rites are performed for them. Jongmyo was established in the
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was erected to the west of the palace. Jongmyo was burned down during the Japanese invasion
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enlarged as more kings and queens were enshrined.
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Map of Jongmyo Shrine

01
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their ancestors.

Jongmyo at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty +DYLQJGHFLGHGWRWUDQVIHUWKH

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were moved to the new shrine.

Cross-section of Jeongjeon

02
 Folding screen depicting sacrificial rites at Jongmyo Major
sacrificial rites and other significant events at Jongmyo are illustrated
on the top por tion, and the proceedings of the rites are explained
on the bottom. This screen provides descriptions of chambers up to
King Cheoljong (1849~1863), suggesting that it was made during King
Gojong’s reign (1863~1907).

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corridored buildings were built at right angles to the east and west of the main
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it from shrine architecture in China.

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were given utmost importance when building homes and other structures to
ensure that they were in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Jongmyo is
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across the ridge. Restoration of the area to its original state is under way.

03
1 Hyangdaecheong and Vicinity
香大廳

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the wooden front veranda are stone steps where shoes are to be removed and placed.
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 Mangmyoru This was mostly used for the oflce and sometimes meditate
spot for the deceased. Books were kept in this pavilion and paintings were
hung on its walls. Its name means ‘the king thinks about the achievements
of previous kings, and the policies which would benel t his people while
looking at Jeongjeon.’ The side facing the pond has an elevated, wooden-
m oored veranda.

Gongminwang Sindang This is a shrine dedicated to King Gongmin, the

31st monarch of the Goryeo Dynasty, and his Mongolian wife. It is extra-
ordinary that a Goryeo king should be enshrined at Jongmyo. Some believe
that his enshrinement helped legitimize the newly founded dynasty. Others
say that a portrait of King Gongmin blowing about in the wind happened to
fall into the court of Jongmyo while it was being built, and it was decided
that the portrait should be enshrined.

Hyangdaecheong

Mangmyoru Gongminwang Sindang

King’s funeral A state funeral was held when the king or queen died. It
was an elaborate affair on the scale of a national project. Immediately after
their death, nine layers of garments were placed on the deceased. The initial
dressing procedure lasted two to three days, during which time as many as
19 layers of clothes and blankets were placed on the deceased. The second
dressing, conducted starting l ve days after the death, entailed clothing the
deceased in as many as 90 layers of garments. When the king died the gates
leading to the capital and the palaces were heavily guarded, markets were
ordered closed for l ve days, and marriage and butchery were forbidden for
Incense burner, three months. Throughout the l ve-month mourning period, the body of the
Incense container deceased was kept in an ice room to prevent decomposition.

05
2 Jaegung and Vicinity
齋宮

Purifying body and mind for ancestral rites

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the crown prince performed their ablutions to purify their bodies and minds.
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Eojaesil

Sejajaesil
Eomokyokcheong

06
3 Jeongjeon and Vicinity
正殿

Spirit tablets for the deceased kings and queens enshrined

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which the spirits were believed to enter. Ritual officiants entered through the east
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has the ultimate beauty of sublimity found in classical architecture.
Gongsindang / Chilsadang / Akgongcheong Below the stone yard of Jeongjeon is Gongsindang Shrine to the
east and Chilsadang Shrine to the west. Gongsindang houses spirit tablets of meritorious subjects who served
the kings whose tablets are enshrined in Jeongjeon. Chilsadang was a place of prayer where the gods of
Chilsadang were asked to ensure that all the affairs of the royal family and all the people would be carried out
without any diflculties. Rituals performed here to the gods were state affairs that involved elements of both
local religion and Confucian philosophy. Outside the wall in the southwest of Jeongjeon is Akgongcheong,
where court musicians stood by before performing for rituals.

Layout of Jeongjeon

Cross-section of Taesil, Jeongjeon

Chilsadang

Spirit tablets enshrined in Jeongjeon A total of 49 spirit tablets for

deceased kings and queens are housed in Jeongjeon, with the oldest being
that of Taejo, founder of Joseon, in the lrst chamber on the west end. At the
east end, the last king to be enshrined is Sunjong, the 27th monarch.

08
Jongmyo’s fate portends national crisis According to oflcial records, as Japanese troops advanced into
Seoul some stayed in Jongmyo, but many of these soldiers died suddenly. The remaining Japanese troops
were retreated the site, believing that ‘Jongmyo is not a place to linger because of the divine spirits.’

Jeongjeon

Gongsindang

09
4 Yeongnyeongjeon and Vicinity
永寧殿

Separate shrine where spirit tablets of the royal family are housed
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and below the raised section are four spirit chambers for four generations of King
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with tablets posthumously.
 Why Yeongnyeongjeon was constructed In the early years of Joseon,
Jongmyo had only one hall : Jeongjeon. But as time went on, it was only
natural that more spirit chambers were needed. Jeongjeon could not
have more spirit chambers than Ming China’s royal shrine. Following
heated debate in the court, it was decided that another shrine should
be built. Hence Yeongnyeongjeon was constructed beside Jeongjeon.

Tablets enshrined in Yeongnyeongjeon The spirit tablets for four

generations of Taejo’s ancestors are kept in chambers in the center.
Chambers to the east and west contain tablets for kings and queens
including Jeongjong (2nd monarch), Munjong (5th), Danjong (6th),
Deokjong (posthumously titled), Yejong (8th), Injong (12th), Myeong-jong
(13th), and Jangjo (posthumously titled). These 16 chambers contain 34
tablets.

Yeongnyeongjeon

A king’s mother who could not be enshrined in Jongmyo So strict were the rules of Joseon society that even
a king’s mother could not be enshrined at Jongmyo if she had never been a queen. In the entire Joseon period,
King Yeongjo was the only son born to such a low-status mother to attain the throne; his mother had been a
maid tending to the water that court ladies used to wash their faces. Yeongjo was extremely devoted to his
mother, but the most the king could do to comfort his mother was to build a shrine for her.

11
5 Jeonsacheong and Vicinity
典祀廳

Ritual foods prepared here

Foods for rituals were prepared in Jeonsacheong. Ritual vessels and utensils were
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water was used for rituals.

Jeonsacheong Jejeong

Seongsaengwi
Subokbang

Chanmakdan

Chanmakdan and Seongsaengwi Food to be offered on the altar was

examined on Chanmakdan. Tremendous care was taken in the prepa-
ration of ritual foods because most of them were raw. A curtained tent
was set up to help ensure cleanliness. Ritual animals such as cows,
sheep, and pigs were examined on Seongsaengwi before sacrificed.
Only the qualiled animal could be used for offerings.

12
 Sinsil
神室

Spirit tablets for kings and queens enshrined

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in which the tablets of kings and queens are enshrined. A single building in Jongmyo
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drawn separately with a yellow curtain to resemble the bedroom used by the king
and queen in their lifetimes. In between each chamber is a screen used as a partition.
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depict heaven. Chestnut wood tablets are kept in chests at the rear of each chamber.
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on the east side.

Composition of a chamber

13
Names of Joseon Kings A king would use several different names in his lifetime. When a boy was born
as a legitimate l rst prince, he was called ‘Wonja,’ a common name referring to a legitimate l rst son. Upon
the celebration of his coming-of-age, the future king was given a personal name, which he used until he was
invested as the crown prince. Upon being named the crown prince he was given a formal name, which he
stopped using once he became a king. After a king died, he was given a posthumous name. This name would
be chosen by the new king and his ministers at the end of the three-year period of mourning for the deceased
king, when his spirit tablet was enshrined in Jongmyo.
Sinju According to Confucian doctrine, when a person dies the spirit of
the dead leaves the body. An spirit tablet made of chestnut contains the
spirit of the deceased, and as such is regarded as sacred. The tablet is
rectangular with a rounded top. The front board contains a hole, through
which the spirit can enter and leave. Inscribed on the front face are various
titles of the king and queen. During times of war, the tablets were moved to
a safer place.

Posthumous title of Jeongjong King Jeongjong (r. 1398-1400), the second ruler of Joseon, died in 1419.
A king was normally given a posthumous title three years after his death, but Jeongjong did not receive his
title until 1681, a full 260 years after his death.

Bumyo When the three-year mourning period for the king ended, an auspicious date was chosen to move
his tablet from the palace to Jeongjeon, the main hall of Jongmyo Shrine. This process was known as Bumyo.
If the queen died before the king, her tablet was l rst enshrined in the palace, and, following the king’s death,
enshrined together with the king’s tablet in Jongmyo after the three-year mourning period. Also enshrined
at this time were writings on the king’s achievements and a seal engraved with the king’s name. After the
Bumyo ritual, the royal household would return to normal.

14
 Jongmyo Jerye
宗廟祭禮

Joseon’s most important ritual

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Royal Procession Wearing a formal outl t for the ceremony at Jongmyo, the king rode the royal carriage to
another carriage waiting outside the palace. There, royal guards and ritual attendants took their positions in
front of and behind the king’s carriage, and all those assembled began marching to Jongmyo. At the head of
the parade were honor guards bearing swords, spears, and m ags symbolizing the king. In front of and behind
the king’s carriage attendants were carrying parasols and fans, a band, and oflcials of the royal family. Cap-
ping off the procession was a unit of escort guards. When the procession arrived at the main gate of Jongmyo,
the king would dismount from the royal carriage and change to a sedan chair to enter the shrine.

15
Rituals of Jongmyo Jerye The ceremonies of Jongmyo Jerye were observed with utmost sincerity and
solemnity. As they prepared to perform their ritual duties, the king and all others at tending took their
positions on the courtyard in front of the worship hall (Chwiwi). To welcome the spirits, they burned incense
and poured wine on the ground, and offered white ramie cloth to the ancestors (Singwal-rye). The fur, blood,
and cooked entrails of ritual animals were offered and greased liver, millet, and mugwort were burned
in a charcoal brazier (Cheonjo-rye). Next, the spirits were entertained with offerings of food and wine,
l rst by the king, next by the crown prince, and l nally by the prime minister (Heonjark-rye). Then, the king
received blessings from the ancestor spirits by partaking of ritual food and drink (Eumboksujo-rye). The l nal
procedure involved burning the ritual prayer papers and white ramie cloth (Mangnyo-rye).

Ritual vessels and food Special vessels were created and kept for Jongmyo Jerye. Sixty-three kinds of
vessels were used for food to be offered to the spirits. For offerings of dry food bamboo vessels were used,
while wooden vessels were used for wet food offerings. Vessels for grains came in both square and round
shapes. Wine vessels came in a variety of patterns including that of a chicken, bird, elephant, cow, mountains,
clouds, and grain. Following ancient practices, raw meats were offered together with salted and fermented
meats. Today, the ritual food formalities have been greatly simplil ed.

16
 Jongmyo Jeryeak
宗廟祭禮樂

Sublime and pleasing ‘masterpiece of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity’

Jongmyo Jeryeak is the royal ancestral ritual music performed at Jongmyo Jerye.
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combine with beautiful and sublime rhythms to produce a solemn atmosphere.
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Pyeonjong (Korean musical instrument

consisting of a set of 16 bronze bells)

Ilmu Ilmu refers to a line dance performed during Jongmyo Jeryeak.

Initially six rows of six dancers performed yuk-ilmu, but after Gojong
became emperor pal-ilmu, consisting of eight rows of eight dancers,
was performed. The Ilmu dance includes munmu, a civil dance honoring
scholarly achievements, and mumu, a military dance honoring military
feats. The civil dance is quiet and gentle, while the military dance is
strong and dynamic with dancers holding swords and spears.

17
 Shrine Facilities at Jongmyo

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Confucian emphasis on hierarchy.

Sillo Sillo is the passage for the spirits of the deceased. A long walk-
way consisting of three parallel stone footpaths leads from the main
gate of Jongmyo to Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon, where the spirit
tablets are enshrined. Sillo and sinhyangro is the slightly raised center
path and is for officiants carrying the tablets, incense, written prayers,
and offerings. The path to the right, Eoro, was reserved for the king and
the path to the left, Sejaro, for the crown prince. The three footpaths
separate before arriving at Jongmyo’s main hall. Sillo passes through
the south gate, while Eoro and Sejaro pass through the east gate.

Panwi The square, stone platforms outside the east gates of Jeong-
jeon and Yeongnyeongjeon are called Panwi. It was on these platforms
that the king and the crown prince briefly stopped to pay their respects
before the ritual.

18
Woldae and staircase The huge terrace in front of Jeongjeon and
Yeongnyeongjeon is called a woldae, and the ground on which it is
situated is called myojeong. The woldae here is divided into Sang-
woldae (“upper woldae”) and Ha-woldae (“lower woldae”). The two
main halls stand on the stylobate to the north of Sang-woldae. A three-
set stone staircase leads up to it. The middle stairs are for the spirits
and officiants carrying incense and other items, and the east and west
stairs are for officiants to go up to and down from the hall, respectively.
Clouds are carved on the middle stair’s railings, implying that this is a
heavenly space.

Gates to spirit chambers Each of the gates leading to the spirit

chambers of Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon has double doors.
Strangely enough, the t wo doors do not exactly fit: one is slightly
misshapen, creating a small opening. A thin, triangular piece of wood
attached to the door sill ensures that they cannot be tightly closed.
All sides of Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon except the front are
covered with bricks, allowing no light inside. The crack symbolizes the
coming and going of spirits of the deceased, while also letting air in to
moderate the humidity.

Jidang There are three ponds called Jidang in Jongmyo Shrine. At the
center of the square pond is a round islet, which symbolizes the belief
that heaven is round and earth is flat. Pine trees grow on most Jidang
ponds on palace grounds, but a Chinese juniper grows here.

Bualpanwi Midway along the Sillo pathway from the south gate of
Jongmyo to Jeongjeon hall is a Bualpanwi, a stone platform. This is
where the carriage carrying the spirit tablets was parked when the
king’s and queen’s tablets were moved from the palace to Jeongjeon
hall when the three-year mourning period finally ended. Another
Bualpanwi is in the courtyard inside of Yeongnyeongjeon.

Hamabi The inscription on this stone monument states, ‘Whoever

arrives here, regardless of social status, should dismount from their
horse to pay respects to the deceased kings and queens enshrined
in Jongmyo.’ The hamabi was originally built of wood in 1413. The
monument we see today in front of Jongmyo was erected in 1663.

Eojeong Eojeong, the royal well, was so named because kings drank
water from this well when they visited Jongmyo. Below the ground it has
a rounded shape; aboveground it has a ‘井’ shape with square stones.
The well is 8 meters deep and 1.5 meters wide, and it was long famous
for never running dry, even during a drought. It dried up only after an
underground parking lot was constructed beneath Jongmyo Park.

19
Published by Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea · 2011