Sharing the lecture held on April 11, 2023.

New Manifestations of Legalized Shamanic Shrines on the Holy Rooster-Dragon Mountain

Speaker: David Mason

SUMMARY:
Mt. Gyeryong-san has always been one of Korea’s most sacred areas, and it was the third mountain to be designated a national park 55 years ago. Private Shamanic shrines were ostracized from polite society for 500 years by the Neo-Confucian Joseon Dynasty, and then made illegal and national authorities throughout the 20th century; however, they continued to flourish outside of cities around holy mountains.  In this century, with the implementation of more powerful local governments, a few rural counties have quietly legalized private Shamanic shrines, leading to an amazing colorful profusion of new shrines, altars and artworks of deities — as Korean Shamanism “comes out of the closet”. This lecture will begin by explaining this entire process and its significance. In its second half, Professor Mason will show dozens of his own photos of these new structures, paintings and statues, from shrines at the foot of the Rooster-Dragon Mountain within Gongju City, one of the leaders of this new trend. He will give brief explanations of the spirits been venerated and what is “very 21st-century” about how they are being presented there, and the changing attitudes of the mudang shamans that created these sites.

BIO:
David A. Mason recently retired as a Professor of Korean Cultural Tourism at Kyung Hee & Sejong Universities for 17 years, and is a longtime researcher on the deep religious characteristics of Korea’s mountains.  Prior to this, he served as a consultant for the national Ministry of Culture and Tourism for 5 years.  Mason earned a Masters’ Degree in the History of Korean Religions from Yonsei University in 1997, and was appointed the national Honorary Ambassador of the Baekdu-daegan Ranges in 2011.  He has authored and edited ten books on Korean culture and tourism.  He is now a tour-guide and public-speaker, based in Seoul.  A native of the USA, he has been living in South Korea for 37 years now, always following his passionate interest in traveling around Korea.  He has proudly been an active member of the venerable Royal Asiatic Society – Korea Branch for those four decades, and this is his 16th lecture for it.