Historic site of Dr. Wangin

Historic site of Dr. Wangin
The historic site of Dr. Wangin is located at the foot of Munpil Peak to the east of Gurim village. It sheds a new light on Wangin and restores his place in history. There is Seonggi-dong, the birthplace of Dr. Wangin, and Seongcheon (the sacred fountain he is said to have drunk from). Next to his birthplace stands the Yuheobi (a memorial monument). Also, halfway up Mt. Wolchul, there is Chaekgul (a cave of books), as well as Munsanjae and Yangsajae where Wangin is said to have studied. Munsanjae and Yangsajae are places where he studied and taught talented local students. There used to be a ceremony to commemorate Dr. Wangin every March 3. It is said that the stone statue of Dr. Wangin in front of the cave was erected in memory of his great virtue. Doljeong Hill west of Seonggi-dong was named such because, when Wangin left for Japan, he looked back at his hometown unwilling to part with his colleagues and students. Sangdaepo is the place where Dr Wangin boarded his ship bound for J apan. It was an international trading port in those days. Dr. Wangin, a citizen of Baekje, was invited by Emperor Ojin of Japan and travelled to Japan with 10 volumes of Noneo (the analects of Confucius), and 1 volume of Cheonjamun (the Thousand Character Text). His extensive knowledge of Confucian classics won him the trust of Emperor Ojin, and he became a master to the Crown Prince. This provided Japan with an important opportunity to understand culture, and his descendents had jobs related to scholarship from generation to generation, served the royal court of Japan, and greatly contributed to the development of Japanese culture. Gosagi, Japan's history book, mentions Hwaigilsa, and Nihonshoki mentions Wangin. Dr. Wangin not only taught Noneo and Cheonjamun, but also introduced the industrial arts and contributed to the creation of Japanese songs. He was the master and political adviser for the imperial household of Japan. He became a saint of Japanese culture and ideology by introducing Baekje culture to Japan, thereby enlightening the Japanese people. He also became the founder of Japan's Asuka culture. The historic site improvement project was carried out from 1985 to 1987, starting with the construction of the shrine, and the Seonggi-dong culture and tourism project, including Wangin Park, continues until today.