A Statue of Peace looks toward the Daeungjeon Hall of Dongguk Temple in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Oct. 3. Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

Like an unseemly scar, Dongguk Temple in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, is hidden away in a side street just off the main road. Dongguk Temple is a rather peculiar-looking Korean Buddhist temple that doesn't quite look like all the other traditional Buddhist temples in Korea. Dongguk Temple is one of only four Japanese-style Buddhist temples that was built during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation period that is still in existence in Korea.

The city of Gunsan, before it officially opened its west coast port to foreign trade on May 1, 1899, was nothing more than a city of 588 people. With a large-scale land development project for the city at this time, as well as through the implementation of a well-organized urban development plan, Gunsan was able to avoid the pitfalls of other port cities. As a result, Gunsan grew rapidly in size. From a population of only 588 individuals (511 Korean, 77 Japanese) in 1899, Gunsan would eventually grow to have a population of nearly 37,000 by the time of liberation in 1945. And of these 37,000 people, some 9,408 would be Japanese, which was nearly a quarter of the city's population.

With the opening of the port in Busan in 1877, and after the signing of the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876, not only did it open Korea up to trade, but it also allowed Japanese Buddhism to enter Korea as well. This was done at the request of the Japanese government. And in 1904, a form of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism began missionary work in Gunsan. The reason for these sorts of efforts was to introduce Japanese Buddhism into Korea through missionary work to help culturally assimilate, on a much broader scale, Koreans into Japanese culture, language and history through religion.

The Daeungjeon Hall at Dongguk Temple, Aug. 9, 2021 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

In order to accommodate these efforts and the growing Japanese population in Korea, Buddhist temples like Dongguk Temple were built throughout the Korean Peninsula. When Dongguk Temple was first built in 1909, it was known as Geumgang Temple.

Geumgang Temple was a temple from the Soto School of Japanese Buddhism. It was a missionary center in Gunsan for Japanese Buddhists. The original Geumgang Temple was located in a rented house on Iljo Street. Then in 1913, and after receiving a large parcel of land in downtown Gunsan, Geumgang Temple was relocated to its current location. Like most Japanese Buddhist temples established in downtown Gunsan during the Japanese occupation, the temple enjoyed a favorable location near stores, banks and government offices.

In 1919, a temple bell was cast and a bell pavilion was added. In 1932, and according to a ridge beam inscription found inside the Daeung-jeon Hall, the main hall, the Founders' Hall and the living quarters were all rebuilt. With its growing population, Geumgang Temple expanded its influence with the creation of three additional missionary centers in Gunsan in 1941.

The bell pavilion at Dongguk Temple, Oct. 3 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

As Korean monks started to live at Dongguk Temple in 1947, they began to change several architectural features. The former Japanese tatami mats were replaced with ondol (traditional Korean heated flooring), and the installation of a furnace led to the removal of the sliding doors at the back of the main hall, which was now known as a Daeungjeon Hall. During the 1950-53 Korean War, the Daeungjeon Hall was used as a headquarters for the North Korean People's Army. Also, there was originally an exit to the south of the bell pavilion, but when Geumgwang Elementary School was opened in 1953, the road was blocked and the temple exit was closed. Eventually, Dongguk Temple would become a Jogye Order temple and its name would change to its current name of Dongguk Temple.

Now, as you visit Dongguk Temple, with Geumgwang Elementary School to the south, you enter the temple grounds up an incline to the north. The original name of the temple, Geumgang Temple, can still faintly be seen on the entry gate posts to the temple. However, they have been vandalized.

The entryway at Dongguk Temple, Oct. 3 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

Past the entry gate, and now squarely standing in the center of the compact temple grounds, the Daeungjeon Hall is built architecturally in the style of the Edo period (1603-1868). The Daeungjeon Hall consists of a single eave without the traditional Korean dancheong colors. In fact, the entire Daeung-jeon Hall is void of the traditional dancheong colors common to all Korean Buddhist temples. Also, its roof is long and sloping with a high pitched design. The outer walls of the building have several windows, which is also uncommon to Korean Buddhist architecture. What also differentiates this Japanese-style Daeungjeon Hall is the connecting corridor that goes from the main hall to the monks' living quarters. The main hall was built using imported Japanese cedar trees that are traditionally used in the construction of Japanese Buddhist temples.

When you first approach the front entry to the Daeung-jeon Hall, you will notice that there are a pair of sliding wooden doors that need to be pushed open to gain entry. These steep, horizontal sliding doors are another feature of Japanese architecture. Stepping inside, the main altar triad dates back to 1650, and it's a Korean Treasure. The triad is a rare combination inside a Daeungjeon Hall with Seokgamoni-bul (Historical Buddha) in the center joined by two of the Buddha's principal disciples: Ananda and Mahakasyapa.

A look inside the Daeungjeon Hall at Dongguk Temple, Oct. 3 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

The other temple structures that visitors can explore at Dongguk Temple are situated to the left of the Daeung-jeon Hall. And like the Daeung-jeon Hall, they are Japanese in style. The first is the diminutive Cheonbuljeon Hall. Stepping inside here, you'll find a statue of Gwanseeum-bosal (Bodhisattva of Compassion) surrounded by a thousand small golden statues.

To the left of the Cheonbuljeon Hall, you'll find the Japanese-style bell pavilion with the small bronze bell inside it from 1919. Next to the bell pavilion is "The Statue of Peace," which is meant to symbolize the suffering of Korean victims of wartime sex slavery. It was added to the temple grounds in August 2015.

Dongguk Temple is a look back into Korea's tumultuous past. The temple is a reminder of the open wounds that still exist among Koreans when they think of Japanese colonial rule — and yet, it's been allowed to stand, while so many other Japanese Buddhist temples have been demolished. Perhaps it's a reminder that by looking back at the past, we can look forward to a brighter future that hopefully never forgets.

Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published four books on Korean Buddhism. He runs the website Dale's Korean Temple Adventures.