Geungnakjeon Hall of Hwaamsa Temple, Wanju

Geungnakjeon is a Buddhist worship hall honoring Amitabha, the Buddha of Western Paradise, who guides those who have died to be reborn in the Buddhist paradise of the West. It is the main worship hall of Hwaamsa Temple.

It is uncertain when this hall was first built, but it is presumed to have been rebuilt between 1297 and 1307 and repaired between 1425 and 1440. In 1597, during the Japanese invasions of 1597-1598, it was destroyed by fire and was reconstructed in 1605. Afterward, it underwent several repairs, and in 2004, it was dismantled and renovated.

The purlins of this building extend beyond its exterior walls, thus dispersing the weight of the roof and better supporting the rafters. This allows the eaves of the roof to extend significantly longer than a typical roof. This structure is a common feature of traditional Chinese and Japanese wooden buildings, but not of Korean buildings. Thus, this hall is regarded as a valuable resource in the study of traditional wooden architecture.

The hall’s name is written across three separate hanging plaques rather than on one as is custom. This may have been done because there was not enough space due to the structure of the roof or in order to avoid covering the Buddhist paintings above the wooden plaques.

Inside the hall, there is an ornate Buddhist altar upon which a triad, consisting of Amitabha and two attendant bodhisattvas, sits. Behind the triad is a painting of Amitabha, and above it is an intricate wooden canopy. The ceiling and walls of the hall are painted with colorful patterns and murals of flowers, birds, and arhats(the perfected disciples of the Buddha). Hanging on the walls are paintings depicting Guardian Deities and The King of Hell. The bronze bell of Hwaamsa Temple(Jeollabuk-do Province Tangible Cultural Heritage) is also enshrined in the hall.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08