Simujang: A Space of National Pride
Simujang, a place brimming with national pride.
In 1933, Buddhist Monk Byeoksan donated the land, and with the help of acquaintances like Bang Eung-mo and Park Gwang, a two-room house was built deep in the valley of Seongbuk-dong. 'Sim-u (尋牛)' originates from the Simudo paintings, which liken the ten stages of a practitioner's journey to enlightenment to the search for a lost ox. Han Yong-un contemplated the nation and its people through these stages of Sim-u. The mid-1930s marked the height of Japanese imperialism, a time of intense oppression of the independence movement. While figures like Choi Nam-seon and Choi Rin were changing sides, Han Yong-un remained unyielding, striving for the independence of his homeland until his death at Simujang on June 29, 1944, just before liberation.
▼ Directions to Simujang
From Hansung University Station Exit 6, take the Village Bus No. 3 and get off at the Super stop in Sanmaul.
Unsure of where to go, I asked a local elder, who directed me down by the utility pole and even walked me to Simubang. He mentioned that the area across the main road was an affluent neighborhood, but this side was better to live in. The friendly conversation between the village bus driver and the locals, along with the kindness of the elder, filled me with a sense of community. It made me think this was a better place to live.
Simubang
Behind Simubang
It is said that Han Yong-un built the house facing north to have the Government-General behind it.
Simubang consists of two rooms and a kitchen.
An old pine tree stands at the gate of Simubang.
Behind and Beside the House (facing the Government-General)
When independence activist Ilsong Kim Dong-sam died in Gyeongseong Prison, no one dared to collect his body due to fear of the Japanese. Han Yong-un held his funeral here at Simujang.
Majeo Jeolwi (磨杵絶葦)
This is a wood carving of calligraphy by Manhae Han Yong-un. 'Majeo (磨杵)' means that a pestle was ground down to become a needle, and 'Jeolwi (絶葦)' means that the leather cord binding books wore out and broke.
It conveys the message to study diligently without rest, and it is said that he wrote it for his disciple, Hyodang Choi Beom-sul.
Odosong (悟道頌) - Song of Enlightenment
Wherever I stay, is it not my homeland?
Have you forgotten that some travelers often worry?
I shout loudly and shake the entire world
Plum blossoms bloom redly and faintly in the snow.
Here, 'homeland' is not Han Yong-un's physical birthplace but the homeland of the nation that lost its country.
1879: Born in Gyeolseong-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungnam Province
1905: Ordained at Baekdamsa Temple in Inje
1907: First Zen practice at Geonbongsa Temple in Goseong
1919: Participated in the March 1st Movement as one of the 33 national representatives, signing the Declaration of Independence and imprisoned in Seodaemun Prison in Seodaemun-gu
1921: Registered as a monk at Sinhungsa Temple in Sokcho
1926: Published the poetry collection 'The Silence of Love' at Hoidong Seogwan
1933: Built and settled in Simujang in Seongbuk-gu, engaging in exchanges with patriotic figures and literary activities
June 29, 1944: Passed away at Simujang and buried in Manguri Cemetery
Returning
I went down the opposite way from how I came.
Site of novelist Kubo Park Tae-won's House
The Silence of Love
My love has gone. Ah, my beloved has gone.
She broke through the green mountain hues and walked down the narrow path toward the maple forest, resolutely leaving.
The old vows, solid and shining like golden flowers, have become cold dust and blown away on the breeze of a sigh.
The memory of the sharp first kiss turned the compass of my fate and disappeared, walking backward.
I became deaf to the fragrant voice of my love, and blind to her flower-like face.
Love being a matter of love, I did not fail to worry and guard against parting beforehand,
But separation becomes an unexpected event, and my startled heart bursts with new sorrow.
However, knowing that turning separation into a source of needless tears is to destroy love itself,
I shift the overwhelming force of sorrow and pour it into the crown of new hope.
As we worry about parting when we meet, so we believe that we will meet again when we part.
Ah, my love has gone, but I have not sent her away.
The song of love, unable to bear its own tune, swirls around the silence of my love.
1926 Work
Han Yong-un born August 29, 1879
▼Nearby Attractions around Simujang
Directions to Simujang
Address: 24, Seongbuk-ro 29-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul
Visiting Hours: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
From Hansung University Station Exit 6, take Seongbuk Village Bus No. 03, get off at the Super stop, and go down by the utility pole.
From Hansung University Station Exit 6, take Bus No. 1111, 1112, or 2112 and get off at Dongbang Graduate University.
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