CHEONGLYANGSAN MOUNTAIN’S BEAUTY PERMEATES THROUGH ITS NAME

Cheonglyangsan Mountain is

named for the clear,

refreshing views of the mountain

surrounded by the sea.

 

Also called Cheoklyangsan Mountain

or Cheongneungsan Mountain,

Cheonglyangsan Mountain is

mentioned by its current name in

Sinjeungdonggukyeojiseungnam

(Augmented Survey

of the Geography of Korea)

and later in Incheon Buji,

alongside descriptions that

praise it as ‘clean (cheong, 淸)’

or ‘excellent (su, 秀).’

 

This name was reportedly

given by Naong Hwasang,

who served as King Gongmin

of Goryeo’s official Buddhist monk,

when Heungryunsa Temple

was built on the mountain

during the second year

of King U’s reign

during the Goryeo Dynasty

(1376).

Another argument states

that Cheonglyangsan Mountain

refers to Mount Wutai

in Shanxi, China.

 

According to this legend,

the Chinese Buddhist

patriarch Jinggwan Josa made

a prophesy upon entering

Nirvana that his Dharma

would flower in a small nation

where the sun rises.

 

Following this,

two of his top students

left and headed eastward

riding white horses.

 

Their horses stopped in

the middle of this mountain,

and the two students

built a statue of their

white horses and named

the mountain

Cheonglyangsan Mountain.

From the perspective

of Feng Shui (Chinese geomancy),

the name of the mountain

was originally Cheoklyangsan,

which later was changed

to Cheonglyangsan to match

its pronunciation.

 

On the other hand,

there are those who argue

that the mountain was

named Cheongneungsan Mountain

after the tomb known

as ‘Cheongneung,’

which was found on the

mountain’s eastern hillside.