| Shin
Sunggyeom Shrine (10th century site, 20th century
buildings)
other
sites in Daegu |
Daegu, Korea |
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On the outskirts of Dong-Daegu is a seldom-visited shrine to general Shin Sunggyeom, a man who played a pivotal role in the founding of the Goryeo dynasty (918 to 1392). Shin Sunggyeom was born in the chaotic years of the late 9th century, when the Unified Silla kingdom was on the wane. As an adult, Shin became embroiled in the conflicts surrounding the fall of Unified Silla and rose to become a general of the short-lived kingdom of Taebong. Probably realizing that Taebong was too weak to survive alone, he allied himself with other military men under the leadership of Wang Geon. In 918, Shin Sunggyeom participated in a coup in which Wang Geon deposed the corrupt King Gungye of the Later-Goguryeo kingdom and established the Goryeo dynasty.
It was not the end of the wars. Had peace been declared, it is likely that Shin would have lived out the rest of his days in luxury as a "dynastic-foundation merit subject." However, Wang Geon again called him into service to help attack the forces of the Later-Baekje kingdom. Shin complied and led an army with the king into the valleys near Daegu. Although the Goryeo forces fought bravely, the Later-Baekje troops overwhelmed the Goryeo camp. In order to save the king's life, Shin pretended to be the king while Wang Geon fled homeward. Shin was captured and summarily executed by the Baekje army.
Although Later-Baekje won the battle, it lost the war. Wang Geon ultimately emerged victorious, and the kingdom he founded, Goryeo, would last until 1392. Shin's service was not forgotten. Wang Geon, who took the reign name Taejo, had his remains moved to his hometown in Chuncheon. He also ordered the construction of two temples, Jimyosa and Mirisa, near the place where Shin had died. The temples were destroyed in the closing years of Goryeo and nowadays not a trace remains.
The story of Shin's sacrifice for the king was greatly admired in the Joseon dynasty. In 1607 the governor of Gyeongsang province decided to build a private academy in honor of General Shin. The academy flourished and was awarded funding for official maintenance in 1672 during the reign of King Hyeonjong. Unfortunately the academy was completely destroyed in 1871 following the Daewongun's order banning all but 67 private academies in the country.
Recently, a group of Shin's purported descendants rebuilt the shrine in the traditional style. In stands at the foot of a mountain surrounded by modern apartment complexes. Visitors are allowed to freely wander the grounds of the shrine, but the upper terraces are usually locked except for special occasions.
Bibliography:
All images
copyright 1998-2000 Abe Ahn and Tim Ciccone
Information
from signposts on site.