Gasansa Temple

Gasansa Temple is a branch temple of Beopjusa Temple, the head temple of the 5th Diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is said to have been founded during the Silla period. Gasansa Temple is a place imbued with the spirit of national defense, where many righteous monk soldiers and civilian militias trained to save the nation during the Imjin War (Japanese invasions of Korea, 1592–1598). Notable militia leaders active during the Imjin War include Gwak Jae-u, Go Gyeong-myeong, Jeong Mun-bu, and Jo Heon, while righteous monk soldiers include Monks Seosan, Samyeong, Yeonggyu, Cheoyeong, Sinyeol, and Beopjeong. Among them, Monk Yeonggyu was the first monk commander to voluntarily organize monk troops before Monk Seosan took overall command of the monk army. The Gasansa Temple area holds great historical significance as a site where Monk Yeonggyu and Jo Heon trained righteous monk soldiers and militias and used it as a military camp.

Monk Yeonggyu and Jo Heon, who made significant contributions to the recapture of Cheongju Fortress, died in the Battle of Yeongonpyeong in Geumsan. To honor their loyalty, the state designated Gasansa Temple as a patriotic temple and enshrined their portraits for ancestral rites. However, during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese Government-General of Korea, concerned that the temple might become a center for the anti-Japanese movement, confiscated the portraits of the two commanders and suppressed Gasansa Temple by labeling it a seditious temple. Today, Okcheon County holds annual memorial rites at Gasansa Temple for the loyal martyrs who led the nation's overcoming of national crises.