History-rich Gurim Village

Gurim Village is located at the western base of Mount Wolchul in Yeongam-gun, South Jeolla Province.
It was created during the Era of the Confederated Kingdoms of Samhan, or the Three Han States, 2,200 years ago.
Gurim is the setting of many tales and has produced a number of great historical figures.
It is probably most famous for being the birthplace of Dr. Wangin of Baekje, who is revered for transferring culture and civilization to Japan.
In the year 405, historical archives show Dr. Wangin having crossed over to Japan with the Thousand Chinese Character Classic and the Analects of Confucious accompanied by engineers.

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"This area was a strategic point. It was here that people always set sail toward the West Sea to get to Japan or China".

The village is also known as the birthplace of Dosunguksa, who founded feng shui in Korea.
Legend has it that Dosunguksa who was abandoned upon birth in a forest, escaped death thanks to the help of a pigeon.
The name of the village Gurim literally means "Pigeon Forest".
The larger district Yeongam was where the prominent calligrapher Han Sukbong spent his childhood during the Joseon Dynasty.
The signboard of this Korean house is said to be the work of the maestro himself.
Gurim is also rich in pottery and earthenware.
It was the site where pottery caskets were found, dating back more than two millennia and it was where earthenware using glaze was first discovered in the country.

"Gurim is an important transition point from earthenware using glaze to ceramics".

This means that Gurim stands in history as the predecessor of the prized Goryeo celadon and Joseon porcelain.
The earthenware techniques were spread across the country and there are many traces of exchanges with Chinese and Japanese pottery makers via sea routes.
All this heritage makes Gurim a must see for cultural historians.
Park Jong-hong Arirang News.