Namdaemun (gate)

Namdaemun (gate)
Korean name
Hangul 남대문 (숭례문) Hanja 南大門 (崇禮門) Revised Romanization Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) McCune-Reischauer Namdaemun (Sungnyemun)

The South Korean government awarded Namdaemun, officially called Sungnyemun (숭례문, "Gate of Exalted Ceremony"), the honor of "National Treasure No.1", on December 20, 1962. The "nye" part of the name indicates the Confucian concept of "li" meaning order (rites or ceremonies) as well as associating with the direction South.

Situated in the heart of one of the busiest intersections in Seoul. Cars swarm around the gate, leaving little time for the drivers to grasp the historical significance of the landmark as they hurry to their next appointment. Until 2006, when the gate opened cars and pedistrans, traffic routed around Namdaemun serving as a landmark rather than an historical monument of gigantic historical porpotions.

Historical Background

Seoul, the capital of Korea from the founding the Joseon Dynasty in 1392 until today, had been a walled city with nine gates allowing traffic in and out of the city. The city founders constructed four main gates and five minor gates. The four main gates faced the four cardinal direction; north, south, east, and west. The south, east, and west gates opened at dawn and closed at dusk at the signal of the city bell. The north gate remained closed reserved for the king's escape to Pukhan Sansong or more distant fortifications during times of trouble. Yi T'aejo constructed all nine city gates along with Namdaemun gate in 1396 C.E.

Namdaemun, literally "the southern gate," because it was the southern gate of the original walls surrounding Seoul. Sejong (the 4th king of the Yi Dynasty) construced the Namdaemun gate presently standing in 1479. The gate is the oldest wooden structure surviving in Seoul. Records discovered during repairs in 1961-1963 reveal an extenisve reconstruction made in 1479. The South Korean government repaired the gate in 1961-1963, too.

Prince Yangnyǒng, the elder brother of King Sejǒng, wrote the calligraphy for the three Chinese characters (崇禮門) that designate the gate. As seen in the picture accompanying this article, Namdaemun has a paljak shaped roof (a roofing style with hip rafters attached to the four corners) that gracefully curves in double eves. The phoenix image, representing the king, is carved into the tiles in the upper eve while the dragon image, representing the queen, is carved into the tiles in the lower eve.

Currently, Namdaemun serves as a gateway to Namdaemun market, a traditional twenty-four hour market that has been operating for centuries. The area is also home to several shopping malls.

Namdaemun is the oldest wood-built structure in Seoul. The construction of this gate began in 1395 during the fourth year of the reign of King Taejo of Joseon and was finished in 1398. The Gate, poorly built orginally, was torn down and rebuilt during the reign of King Sejong (1447). The architects built Namdaemun facing Kwanak-san as a way of warding off the fire influences associated with the mountain.

and the tenth year of the reign of King Seongjong (1479).

In the early part of the 20th century, the city walls that surrounded Seoul were demolished by the Japanese Government, allegedly to ease the flow of traffic in the area. The gate is located halfway between Seoul Station and Seoul City Plaza.

Namdaemun was damaged during the Korean War and was given its last major repair in 1962, when it was given the status of It's located in Jung-gu, Seoul, Namdaemun St 4-Ga 29.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Robert Nilsen, 1988. South Korea Handbook. Moon Publications: Chico, CA. ISBN 0-918373-20-4.

• Adams, Edward Ben. 1974. Through gates of Seoul: trails and tales of Yi dynasty, vol. 1-2. Seoul: Taewon Publishing Co. OCLC: 81771842, ASIN: B0007AR876.

See also

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Namdaemun (gate)  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Namdaemun (gate)"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.