태화사지 사역 및 태화루지 비정에 대한 연구 = A Study on the Location of Taehwasa Temple Site and Taehwaru Pavilion Site

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Taehwasa Temple and Taehwaru Pavilion, historical symbols of Ulsan, are documented in various records, including the Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms). However, their precise locations were lost over time. This study aims to identify the original sites of these two significant landmarks by employing an integrative research approach that combines the analysis of historical literature, archaeological data, and modern geographical information, supplemented by a field survey.
The methodology involved three main components. First, classical texts, including records and poems by scholars like Gwon Geun and Kim Geuk-gi cited in the Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam (Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea), were analyzed to understand the topographical and scenic characteristics of Taehwasa and Taehwaru. According to these records, Taehwasa Temple was situated on a "flat hill atop a sheer cliff" north of Hwangnyongyeon, a point where the Taehwa River bends from a southerly to an easterly course. Taehwaru was the temple's southern pavilion, built on the cliff's edge overlooking the river, with a main road (Gwandao) passing below.
Second, the discovery site of the National Treasure "Sari Pagoda with Twelve Zodiac Animal Images from the Taehwasa Temple Site" in 1962 was utilized as a key archaeological clue. As this pagoda, likely enshrining the Buddha's relics, would have been located in a central area of the temple, its discovery site (near the present-day International Gangbyeon Apartment) suggests it was a significant part of the temple's domain (寺域).
Third, based on these literary and archaeological clues, historical topography was reconstructed using time-series geographical data, including cadastral maps (1912), topographic maps (1918), and aerial photographs (1950s). The analysis revealed that the topographical features described in the literature—a "flat hill atop a sheer cliff" and a road passing beneath it—precisely match the area of the current "Taehwa-dong Observatory." This location, with its vertical rock wall facing the river and a flat plateau above, perfectly meets the locational conditions for Taehwasa described in the historical records.
Synthesizing these findings, the central domain of Taehwasa Temple can be identified as the flat plateau including and around the current Taehwa-dong Observatory in Jung-gu, Ulsan. Consequently, the original site of Taehwaru Pavilion is determined to be at the southern edge of this cliff, around 171-13 Taehwa-dong, a location overlooking the Taehwa River and the old road. This proposed site is approximately 365 meters northwest of the currently reconstructed Taehwaru Pavilion (91-2 Taehwa-dong), which was completed in 2014. It is about 365 meters northwest of the current Taehwa-ru (91-2, Taehwa-dong), which was restored in 2014, and the sea level is 14m and 24m, respectively, with a difference of 10m, and the difference in the east-flow view of the Taehwa River from each location is evident, so one can understand that Seo Geo-jeong's view is similar to the previous generations, but the light source seemed to be better. Although the location is about 300 to 400m away from the site of the finding of the stupa, this is a distance that can be fully explained within the scope of the ministry, given that many buildings such as Woljeon and Seonggung were mentioned in the literature.
This study is significant for providing a concrete, evidence-based identification of the original locations of Taehwasa and Taehwaru, a crucial task for restoring Ulsan's history. The findings are expected to serve as foundational material for future archaeological investigations and the development of historical and cultural content in the region.