Seoul Geumseongdang Musindo glyph Origin Late nineteenth century, dated by pigment analysis; presumed to have been in ritual use at Geumseongdang before entering museum care.
A set of eight musindo, shrine portraits of shamanic deities, that hung in Seoul Geumseongdang, a gutdang (shamanic ritual house) in Seoul dedicated to Geumseong Daewang, mountain spirit of Geumseong Mountain in Naju, and Prince Geumseong, the sixth son of King Sejong who was executed in 1457 after seeking to restore his nephew King Danjong to the throne and was afterward venerated in folk belief. Pigment analysis dates the eight paintings, Samburusi Halmoni, Maengin Dosa, Maengin Samsin Manura, Samgung Aegissi, Daesin Bulsa, Changbu Gwangdae, Byeolsang and Malseonang, to the late nineteenth century; heritage assessors attribute their rounded facial forms and nuanced shading to professional, likely monastic, painters rather than folk artisans, though no individual painter is named. The subjects are deities believed to govern human fortune and illness, presumed to have been used in actual gut rites conducted at Geumseongdang before entering museum care. The set is now held by the Eunpyeong History and Hanok Museum in Seoul and was given an advance notice of designation as National Folk Cultural Heritage by the Korea Heritage Service on 2026-05-06.
Facts
Scholarship and Forensics
Scholarly NoteAs of this record the designation is a Korea Heritage Service advance notice, not yet finalized; the set's eight individual paintings are documented by name in Korean-language heritage reporting, but no English-language institutional catalogue entry was found, so titles are transliterated from Korean press coverage rather than an official English designation record. 1 Attributions
TraditionKorean Muism, the shamanic tradition of Korea 1 Identity
Also Known AsSeoul Geumseongdang Musindo (Korean; the shrine paintings of Seoul Geumseongdang) 1 Category of Sacred ObjectA set of eight musindo, painted shrine portraits of shamanic deities, from a named gutdang. 1 Origins
Origin PeriodLate nineteenth century, dated by pigment analysis; presumed to have been in ritual use at Geumseongdang before entering museum care. 1 Meaning
Symbolic MeaningThe Seoul Geumseongdang Musindo are a set of eight shrine portrait paintings of shamanic deities, framed devotional images hung in the gutdang rather than a single freestanding object. 1 Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source 'Seeking to Restore King Danjong' Prince Geumseong Enshrined at Seoul Geumseongdang 'Musindo' to Become a National Heritage (Kyunghyang Shinmun)Bae Moon-gyu
Instance Of
Source 'Seeking to Restore King Danjong' Prince Geumseong Enshrined at Seoul Geumseongdang 'Musindo' to Become a National Heritage (Kyunghyang Shinmun)Bae Moon-gyu
Sources
1. 'Seeking to Restore King Danjong' Prince Geumseong Enshrined at Seoul Geumseongdang 'Musindo' to Become a National Heritage (Kyunghyang Shinmun)
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.