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Seonjamdan

Seonjamdan
선잠단지
Entrance to Seonjamdanji
Religion
AffiliationKorean Confucianism
Location
Location64-1, Seongbuk-dong
Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Map
Interactive map of Seonjamdan
Coordinates37°35′38″N 126°59′58″E / 37.593778°N 126.999333°E / 37.593778; 126.999333
Architecture
Official name: Seonjamdan Altar Site
DesignatedJanuary 21, 1963
Korean name
Hangul
선잠단지
Hanja
先蠶壇址
RRSeonjamdanji
MRSŏnjamdanji

Seonjamdan (Korean: 선잠단지; Hanja: 先蠶壇址) is a Confucian altar site located in Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk District, Seoul, South Korea. The site served as the location for two altars built during the Joseon dynasty for silkworm rituals.[1]

History

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The first Seonjamdan was constructed sometime between the reign of King Taejo and the lunar calendar year of 1414.[2] To comply with the Liji which required ritual silkworm breeding ceremonies to be performed in a northern suburb, Seonjamdan was located to the northeast of Hanyang in Seongbuk-dong.[3] In 1749, King Yeongjo had a second altar constructed as a replacement for the first one.[4]

Following the Korean Empire's loss of diplomatic sovereignty to Japan, the ancestral tablets enshrined at Seonjamdan were relocated to Sajikdan in 1908.[5][6] The site was then damaged by Japanese authorities and abandoned for three decades while the local town repurposed it as a public space.[7] On October 19, 1939, Japanese authorities designated Seonjamdan as historical site.[8] In 1961, a portion of Seonjamdan's protected area was decreased to accommodate new road construction; the altar itself was also expanded and rebuilt.[9]

Seonjamdan was designated a historic site by the South Korean government on January 21, 1963.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Seonjamdan Altar Site, Seoul". Korea Heritage Service. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  2. Park, Heesoung (October 24, 2018). "The Historical Research of the Seonjamdan Altar in Seoul and the Aspects of its Conservation". Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering. 17 (2): 272 via Taylor & Francis.
  3. Park (2018), p. 270
  4. Park (2018), p. 272
  5. Kim, Dong-hyun. "선잠단지". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Archived from the original on February 13, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  6. Park (2018), p. 269
  7. Park (2018), p. 273
  8. Park (2018), p. 273, 275
  9. Park (2018), p. 274-275