Odaesan

Odaesan, also known as Mount Odaesan or Mount Odae (Korean: 오대산; Hanja: 五臺山), is a South Korean mountain peak in Gangwon, South Korea, standing at the junction of the districts of Gangneung, Pyeongchang, and Hongcheon. At an elevation of 1,563 m (5,128 ft) it is the centerpiece of Odaesan National Park.

Odaesan
Highest point
Elevation1,563 m (5,128 ft)
Coordinates37°47′53″N 128°32′35″E 
Geography
LocationSouth Korea
Parent rangeTaebaek Mountains
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationOdaesan
McCune–ReischauerOdaesan
See also: Odaesan National Park

Odaesan stands at the junction of the Taebaek Mountains and the Charyeong Mountains, a spur range stretching to the west. The chief of its five peaks is Birobong (Korean: 비로봉; Hanja: 毘盧峰). It stands just to the south of Seoraksan along the Baekdudaegan, the range of white peaks that make up the symbolic spine of the Korean Peninsula.

History

One of the four royal archives of the Joseon Dynasty is located on the Odaesan. It was founded in 1606 to house the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and Uigwe or "Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty". All but one of the Joseon archives were burned during the Japanese invasions of Korea. Although the Annals themselves were removed in the early 20th century and taken to Japan, where they were lost in the Great Kanto earthquake, the archive has been restored.

Also in 1922, during the Korea under Japanese rule under the supervision of then Resident-General of Korea Itō Hirobumi, many volumes of books including copies of Uigwe and other relics stored at the royal archive in the Buddhist temple at Odaesan were transferred to the University of Tokyo. In August 2010, then-Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced the return of the Uigwe to mark the centenary of the Japanese annexation of Korea. This was followed by the return of 1,200 volumes including 150 Uigwe in December 2011, which were subsequently kept at the National Palace Museum of Korea.[1]

In 1964, Iris odaesanensis was first discovered on the mountain and then named after the mountain.[2][3]

In 2008, a tiny 2300㎡ of peat was discovered in Odaesan.[4]

Attractions

The Odaesan region is home to a variety of Korean cultural treasures. Buddhist temple Woljeongsa of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is located on the eastern slopes of Odaesan.[5] Woljeongsa Temple and Sangwon Temple are well known as temples in Odaesan National Park. There are hermits such as 'Sajaam Hermitage', Gwaneumam Hermitage' and 'Sujeong Hermitage'. There are many important cultural properties in the Woljeongsa temple. The Sangwon Temple located to the north of Woljeongsa Temple also has cultural assets such as the 36th National Treasure. There are no steep valleys on Mt. Oda, so there is no risk of snow avalanche even if the snow is heavy in winter.[6]

See also

References
  1. Lee, Claire "Looted Korean royal texts return home" Korea Herald. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-23
  2. "Flagship Species". english.knps.or.kr. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  3. "Chapitre II iris a touffe et autre (partie1)". irisbotanique.over-blog.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  4. Cho (조), Hong-seop (홍섭) (2008-02-19). "오대산서 원형보존 '이탄습지' 발견". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
  5. Lee, Cin Woo (16 March 2012). "Beyond Seoul: 19 reasons to explore Korea". CNN Go. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  6. "Odaesan, Naver, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture". Naver, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
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