Imheosa Temple (Pohang)

About this place

Imheosa is a branch temple of Bulguksa—the head temple of the 11th diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism—situated within a cluster of retusa fringe trees on Hyanggyosan Mountain in Buk-gu, Pohang-si. It is said to have been built to ward off the invasions of Japanese pirates through the power of the Buddha, but the exact founding date is unknown, and the temple appears to have been established in the 1910s. In 1933 and 1940, it received donations of farmland from devotees and expanded its grounds. It later fell into decline again, but the monk Deogam kept the lamp of the dharma burning while residing there, and the temple was rebuilt in 1983. Within the precincts are the Daeungbojeon (main hall), measuring three kan across the front and two kan at the side, the Sallyeonggak (mountain-spirit shrine), and a newly built set of monks' quarters (yosa).