Tigers have a strange place in Korean folktales. Often, tigers are malevolent creatures. They stalk unsuspecting villagers, cause chaos and destruction, representing the unpredictability of nature. I’d love the stories my parents told me of villagers outwitting tigers by taking advantage of their greed or pride. But the stories always had a common thread that connected them. Tigers, real or mythic, have the potential for ruination.
Hoamsan is located to the south of Seoul and it carries with it a curious legend. The moutain is is said to be the source of destructive energy embodied by a tiger shoped rock. In order to tame and suppress this power, a temple was built on the mountain’s slopes, Hoamsa temple. Even the name, hoam, means to “supress tigers”.
Of course, I didn’t know any of this. When I asked my dad which mountain he wanted to hike last week, he chose Hoamsa because of it’s proximity to Seoksu Station (a 10 minute walk). There wasn’t anything about a mountain haunted by angry tiger spirits.
The Mountain, the Myth, the Legend
We started at Seoksu Station, exit 1 and made our way up the Hoamsan Forest Park trail. It’s a small public park with multiple trails spider-webbing their way up the mountain. For an senior citizen, my dad made his way evenly up the mountain. We talked about family, friends, and old folks I remember from growing up in Los Angeles. Or at least, he did. I wheezed quietly.
We reached the spine of the mountain within an hour and headed closer to the peak. As we got closer, we passed by (and were passed by) hikers dressed in bright reds, greens and yellows. From a distance, it was like watching M&M’s walking through the forest. And, interestingly enough, we found a construction site in the middle of our hike. Apparently, an ancient temple was built on the mountain around 400 AD. And in the years since, battles and invasions chipped away at it’s architecture until nothing remained. On this day, there were tarps, bulldozers and equipment slowly uncovering the past. Something to look forward to on a later hike, perhaps.
Eventually we rounded the peak and made our way to Hoamsa Temple. Here, the tiger legend took on a life of its own. The temple is still active as evidenced by active chanting and a steady stream of visitors. But the tiger imagery was on another level. I’ve visited a lot of temples in a lot of mountains, but I’ve never seen anything like this. There were murals of monks wrestling tigers and the temple drum was itself placed on top of a (very distressed) carved tiger. It was like seeing the folktales of my youth in real life. Even after a thousand years, this temple is still tasked with suppressing the natural tiger energy of the mountain. Even if there are no more tigers around.
From there, we took the scenic route down the mountain. Walking by precariously balanced rocks and Hoamsan Falls which was completely frozen over during our visit. There’s a wooden walking bridge path that visitors can take, but we opted for the forest trail. It takes a bit longer, but you get to see more of the mountain rather than the highway that runs next to the bridge path.
About 4.5 hours after we left the subway station, we were slowly making our trek back down the streets heading back to its entrance. The mountain itself only stands 325 meters above sea level, but it’s pine forests and history make it one of the more interesting hikes in Seoul. One that I look forward to returning to in the spring.
Where is Hoamsan?
Hoamsan is located at the southern edge of Seoul and can be easily accessed from Seoksu Station on Line 1, exit 1.
What to See at Hoamsan
Hoamsa Temple is definitely worth a visit along with its beautiful murals. But there are also several interesting rock formations including Lovers’ Rock which resembles a couple kissing on by the cliffside. There is also the Tiger Rock and Dog Rock, both of which can be found on the mountain’s main trails.
Further down the mountain is Hoamsan Falls, a waterfall that freezes over in the winter. The waterfall is artificial so it may not be active depending on the time and season of your visit.
