It is at 400 Daeheungsa-gil, Samsan-myeon, and is classified as a temple. For inquiries, contact the Haenam County Culture and Arts Division, Cultural Heritage Team (061-530-5250) or Tourist Information (061-532-1330, 061-530-5915).
Source: Haenam County Culture and Tourism · KOGL Type 4 (non-commercial, no changes allowed) · 3 photos
3 photos ↓ · Source: Haenam County Culture and Tourism · KOGL Type 4 (non-commercial, no changes allowed)
Cradle of Tea - Iljiam Hermitage before you go
Contact
Culture and Arts Division, Cultural Heritage Team: 061-530-5250 / Tourist Information: 061-532-1330 / 061-530-5915+82 61-530-5250, +82 61-532-1330, +82 61-530-5915
Address
400 Daeheungsa-gil, Samsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City
Cradle of Tea - Iljiam Hermitage: Seon Master Choui's hermitage, 700 m up from the Main Buddha Hall
Iljiam Hermitage is about 700 m up a steep path from the Main Buddha Hall of Daeheungsa Temple toward the summit. Seon Master Choui rebuilt it in 1824, at age 39, and practiced alone here for more than 40 years until he died in 1866 at age eighty-one. The pavilion that now carries the 'Iljiam' name board was restored in 1980 by members of the Korean Tea People's Association.
Cradle of Tea - Iljiam Hermitage, a spring, a stone basin, and a raised floor over a pond
Spring water rising from a crack in the rock behind the house runs through a wooden pipe into a stone basin. The spring, the stone water basin, the stone stove for boiling tea, the upper and lower ponds, and the meditation stone were restored to their old form. The thatched pavilion is a 4-pyeong thatched hut with a narrow wooden porch around one room. In the main hall, four stone pillars built of stacked slabs in the upper pond hold up the raised floor.
Cradle of Tea - Iljiam Hermitage: Dongdasong and the friendships with Dasan and Chusa
Seon Master Choui compiled Dongdasong and Dasinjeon here, and Dongdasong is regarded as Korea's first book on tea. He shared tea and formed deep friendships with Dasan Jeong Yak-yong and Chusa Kim Jeong-hui. Sochi Heo Ryeon also learned painting from Choui here and, through him, came to study under Chusa. Every year on the 1st day of the 8th lunar month, the anniversary of Choui's passing, the Choui Cultural Festival is held in his memory.
What books did Seon Master Choui compile at Cradle of Tea - Iljiam Hermitage?
He compiled Dongdasong and Dasinjeon here.
What is the stone carved with 'Tea Niche' at Cradle of Tea - Iljiam Hermitage?
One face of the stone wall between the thatched pavilion and the pond is carved with 'Tea Niche (茶龕)', and the wide slab in front of it is sometimes seen as a meditation stone where monks meditated while drinking tea.
