The Shamanist village on Inwang mountain

In Korea, in the city of 서울...

there is a mountain called 인왕산.

And on 인왕산, there is a most interesting village.

In this village, the streets are stairways...

and the homes are modest but intricately decorated.

From their homes, the residents of the village can see above them the summit of 인왕산...

and below them, the city of 서울.

Residents of this village are Shamanist Buddhists, practitioners of a form of Buddhism that includes some of the original spiritual practices of the residents of the Korean peninsula.

A number of spiritual sites of importance to Shamanist Buddhists are present in the village...

including a shrine called 국사당, secretly rebuilt on 인왕산 after the Japanese destroyed its original location on 남산.

There is also a sacred rock called 선바위.
In fact, all of 인왕산 is considered sacred by the inhabitants of the village.





The village seems to have been somewhat isolated from the greater population of 서울 for a long part of its history.
The village is located outside of the perimeter wall of 서울. 
And today, the presence of ruins...

probably the result of a recent fire...

suggests a continuing isolation of the village.




During 설날, the Korean new year festival, there was much activity in the village...

 

and there was evidence of the importance of this festival everywhere.

I felt at peace in the village...
I felt connected to a culture that has roots deep in the past...
A culture from a time when we had not yet corrupted our symbols with hatred...