Sangdalam

About this place

Pohang Sangdalam is a tomb-guarding hermitage (bunam) built to protect the tomb and pray for the repose of the deceased when the tomb of Son So—the founding settler of the Gyeongju Son clan of Yangdong village and a civil official of the early Joseon period—was constructed. Based on a nearby bunam (a facility for ancestral rites), it is a ritual house (jaesil) rebuilt in 1484, and was subsequently repaired in 1595 and 1786, reaching its present state. Sangdalam is a gable-roofed building with a ㄱ-shaped plan; at the time of the 1484 reconstruction the raised-floor pavilion (Hwasuru) portion was added, giving it its present appearance. Moreover, the distinctive roof composition of the gajeok roof (a roof attached to the gable roof of the main quarters) is judged to date from the time of reconstruction, giving it high academic value. It is also an important example in which the historical process of transformation into a ritual house as a Confucian facility can be confirmed through records and architectural remains. As a ritual building for tomb-guarding and ancestral rites of the Joseon period, Sangdalam well preserves the architectural characteristics of the 15th century; with its high historical and academic value, it is judged worthy of designation as a national heritage.