Yonghwasa Temple (Gimpo)

Yonghwasa Temple in Gimpo is a temple belonging to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is located on Unyang Mountain on the left side of the point where the Nusari Plain begins, heading toward Ganghwa along the embankment road. It is a beautiful place overlooking the river and offering a panoramic view of the Ilsan New Town area beyond. The temple's founding date is approximately 1405 (the 5th year of King Taejong's reign). According to the founding legend, a boatman named Jeong Do-myeong was carrying a full load of tribute when he had to dock his boat in front of Unyang Mountain due to low tide. That night, the Buddha appeared in his dream and told him that there was a stone Buddha under the boat he had moored, so he should enshrine it properly. He did so and then shaved his head to practice asceticism. Yonghwajeon Hall sits on a relatively high stone foundation on a site measuring 50 meters east-west and 30 meters north-south. Yonghwajeon is a single-story wooden building with five bays in the front and two bays on the sides, featuring a hipped-and-gabled roof. The five-story stone pagoda is about 5 meters high, made of grayish-white granite, with five tiers of roof stone supports. The stone Buddha enshrined at the top of Yonghwajeon Hall is the Maitreya stone Buddha from the founding legend of Yonghwasa Temple, bearing the style of early Joseon Dynasty Buddhist statues. It was designated as Gimpo City Local Heritage No. 7 in August 2004.