No Country Erected as Many Flagpoles as Korea

A flagpole (danggan) is a long pole on which a flag (called a “dang”) is hung.
However, if a long pole is set into the ground without supports, it will easily fall over, so two stone pillars must be erected on both sides to support it.
These are the flagpole supports.

Then what does the flag look like? There are three types of flags: gi, dang, and beon.
A gi is a flat piece of cloth with a picture or pattern on it, like the Korean flag.
A beon is a vertical banner that adorns a dharma hall. It is ornately decorated with colored embroidery thread and/or knots. The various beon that decorate the main altar or spirit altar during the 49-day memorial ceremony or the Cheondojae memorial ceremony fall into this category.
A dang has a three-dimensional shape, such as a cube or cylinder, and is much more solemn than a gi or beon.

Korea has two national treasures and 29 general treasures related to flagpoles. If you include local cultural assets, they are too numerous to count.
No other Buddhist country has erected as many flagpoles as Korea. They are rare in Japanese temples, and in Chinese temples, two flagpoles are sometimes erected within the temple compound.
They are also uncommon in Southeast Asian Buddhist countries.
However, Korean Buddhists only erect one flagpole at the entrance to a temple.

Why Are Flagpoles So Plentiful Only on the Korean Peninsula?

Flagpoles first appeared in India. However, Indian flagpoles were not set into the ground like in Korea or China.
They were installed on top of stupas. One story about this is recorded in Xuanzang’s Datang Xiyuji (Record of Travels to Western Lands).

The story goes that after Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, he first met two laymen and received an offering from them, after which he gave a teaching.
When they asked him for something of his they could honor, he gave them some of his hair and fingernails.
They then asked, “How should we enshrine and pay homage to them?”
Sakyamuni Buddha folded his robe, laid it out on the ground, turned over his alms bowl on top of it, and then placed his staff on top of the bowl.

From this point on, the stupa took the shape of an overturned bowl. After the Buddha entered nirvana, his cremains were placed in a golden jar, which was then enshrined in a stupa.
A long pillar was erected on top of it, on which a Dharma wheel was carved, and a silk flag was hung.
Devotees worshipped them and made offerings of lamps, flowers, incense, and music.
Even now, in the bowl-shaped stupas of Nepal, a flag is hung on the top pillar.

When these kinds of stupas were introduced to China, they were replaced with multi-story wooden or brick pagodas, and it is presumed that the flag pillars that previously stood on top of the stupas were lowered to ground level.
In Caves 61 and 159 of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are murals depicting a flagpole set up in a temple compound, decorated with a dragon’s head pattern at the top and a flag hanging from it.
Soon, the custom of setting up flagpoles in Chinese temples spread throughout China, and stone flagpoles appeared later.
The conclusion is that Chinese flagpoles were later introduced to the Korean Peninsula.

Flagpoles and Sotdae

The following record is in ‘Account of the East Barbarians’ in the “Book of Wei” section in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
“In the three ‘Han’ kingdoms in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, people believe in ghosts. … In each of these kingdoms is a town named ‘Sodo,’ where citizens erect a large tree, hang bells and drums on it, and worship ghosts. Many fugitives who enter these towns will not be expelled, so they freely commit theft. The purpose of establishing these towns is similar to that of a Buddhist pagoda, but there is a difference in the presence of good or evil.”

In other words, before Korea’s Three Kingdoms were formed, the Mahan, Byeonhan, and Jinhan tribal states (the three Hans) on the Korean Peninsula each had a sacred town named “Sodo,” and if a criminal entered one of these, they could not be arrested at will, so these towns became magnets for thieves.
Record of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) was written before 297, so Buddhism had already entered China, but Korea’s Three Kingdoms had not heard of Buddhism yet.
This is because Buddhism first came to the Korean Peninsula in the second year of Goguryeo King Sosurim’s reign (372). That is why Record of the Three Kingdoms says that although these towns named “Sodo” were sacred areas like a temple with a pagoda, the morals were different.

These “Sodo” towns were said to be located on high ground, and it is also said that the word “sotdae” came from the name “Sodo.”
It has been a long-standing custom on the Korean Peninsula to erect a large wooden post (sotdae) to designate a sacred area.
On one side of a bronze agricultural artifact (general treasure) found in the National Museum of Korea is an engraved depiction of a bird sitting on the end of a split branch.
This indicates that the sotdae tradition dates back to at least the Bronze Age. Even now, there are villages that maintain the tradition of making sotdae with a wooden bird perched atop a long wooden pole.

How Did the Flagpole Tradition Start?

As flagpoles were introduced from China, they began to be erected on the Korean Peninsula.
Naturally, numerous flagpoles were erected in combination with the traditional sotdae culture to designate sacred areas.
In addition, flagpoles were more than just decorations for Buddhist pagodas; they also decorated and protected temples.

The significance of erecting flagpoles is revealed in the inscription on the iron flagpole (national treasure) of Yongdusa Temple Site in Cheongju.
“(The shape of the flag fluttering on the flagpole) is like a crane flying across the blue sky or a dragon leaping across the blue sky. Those who erect it will arouse great faith, and those who look upon it will surely honor it with upright sincerity. It is truly an iron staff that makes the devil surrender as well as a rainbow flag that repels thieves.”

This iron flagpole was originally built by connecting 30 cylindrical iron bars, but now only 20 remain. Originally, it was 18m high, roughly the height of a five-story building.
The flags fluttering from the flagpole—which stood tall on the wide plains of Cheongju—would have brought peace and comfort to anyone and awakened their religious spirit.

The flagpole not only served as a sign indicating the presence of a temple, but also as a sign to announce rituals being held there, such as prayers or Buddhist ceremonies.
Therefore, at a time when there were no modern means of communication, one could tell what kind of Buddhist ceremony was being held at the temple by looking at the flag, which was visible from afar.

Some say it also indicated which Buddhist sect the temple belonged to.
The many flagpoles erected during the Goryeo Dynasty and before were almost never erected during the Joseon Dynasty, whose leaders suppressed Buddhism.
Wooden flagpoles have disappeared over time, and none remain. Several iron flagpoles remain, but none of them are complete, including the decorations that were usually on top.
This is because they were so tall they were often struck by lightning. The same goes for stone flagpoles.

Nobody knew what the decorations on top of the poles looked like until March 29, 1975.
That day, during construction in Yeongju-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, a 50kg dragon’s head decoration (general treasure) for a flagpole was discovered—the first ever seen.
The dragon’s head holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in its mouth, and a pulley is installed inside. The bottom is open, so it was obviously used to hang flags.

A small copy of a gilt-bronze dragon’s head monument (national treasure), made by copying an actual dragon’s head monument, is housed in the Leeum Museum of Art, allowing a clear view of the overall appearance of the monument.

The History of Flagpoles (Danggan)

Flagpoles (danggan) were erected in earnest beginning in the Unified Silla period, but many of them have disappeared, and only the flagpole supports remain.
About 40 flagpole supports from this period still exist. Some flagpole supports are over 5m high, but most are 3―4m high.
Of course, it is difficult to determine the exact date the flagpole supports were erected.

There are inscriptions on some flagpole supports. One flagpole support (general treasure) at the Jungchosa Temple Site in Anyang has the inscription: “Erected in the second year of King Heungdeok’s reign (827).”

Through this, we also learned that it took approximately 6 months to erect a flagpole.
Some flagpole supports are still intact, including the foundation stone, the pedestal, the support stone of the flagpole (gandaeseok), and the flagpole support, but without the flagpole itself.
Two of these are the flagpole supports (general treasure) at Geumsansa Temple in Gimje. It is believed to have been built during the reign of King Hyegong (765―780) by Vinaya Master Jinpyo.
Since Silla culture was at its peak around 750—the period when Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple were built—the flagpole supports of this period must have spread the technology developed in the capital Seorabeol to the local areas.
These flagpole supports have a refined aesthetic and stable sculptural beauty. They can be called a model of Silla’s flagpole supports.

Two flagpole supports (general treasures) at Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, not far from Geumsansa Temple, also show similar craftsmanship.
Uniquely, the two flagpole supports face each other about 90m apart, and there are a few cases of two flagpole supports being installed in one temple on the Korean Peninsula.
Could it be that they were influenced by the Tang Dynasty? Mireuksa Temple was founded by King Mu of Baekje, but it continued to operate even after Silla forces unified the country.

Strangely, the flagpoles for the two flagpole supports at Mireuksa Temple Site were made of stone, not wood. The excavated pillars for the flagpoles were found to be octagonal and tapered as they went higher.

As for iron flagpoles from the Silla period, there is the iron flagpole (general treasure) at Gapsa Temple in Gongju.
It is said that the upper four segments collapsed after being struck by lightning on July 25, 1893, so it must have originally had 28 segments and reached 18m in height.

The existence of flagpoles is also recorded in petroglyphs. In 2011 a rock-carved petroglyph was discovered near the tomb of King Talhae in Gyeongju.
It is a line-engraving, depicting a temple landscape from the Silla period. It shows a pagoda, a buddha hall, and monks, and on the right are a flagpole and a flag fluttering in the wind.
According to the inscription, it was created between 742 and 743.

A Bold Flagpole Support and a Slender One

Among the better-known flagpole supports from the Goryeo Dynasty are the flagpole supports (general treasure) at Gulsansa Temple Site in Gangneung.
Finished to look like rough natural stone pillars, the flagpole supports at Gulsansa Temple Site embody the roughest and boldest spirit of all the flagpole supports.
Not only are they large, but they also stand 5.4m high on a hill much higher than the former temple. They dominate the surroundings with a cool and vibrant energy.

The physical appearance of Goryeo flagpole supports is also described in Illustrated Record of Goryeo by Sujing, who visited Goryeo as an envoy of the Song Dynasty in 1123.
“The flagpole at Heungguksa Temple in Gaeseong is made of copper, with a diameter of 60cm at the base, a height of about 30m, and is gilded. The top is shaped like a phoenix’s head and flies a silk flag.”
From this description, we can imagine that it looked splendid. It also points out that the top is decorated with a phoenix’s head, not a dragon’s head.

One record states that the iron flagpole of Beopjusa Temple in Boeun was erected in the 24th year of Tonghwa (1006) during the Goryeo era.
But in the 3rd year of King Gojong’s reign (1866), it was destroyed when Regent Daewongun seized it and the bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Yonghwajeon Hall to use in minting coins called “Dangbaekjeon.”
After being rebuilt several times, the flagpole was restored to its current state in 1970.

There are traces of stone flagpoles built during the Goryeo Dynasty, such as the one in Gaeksa-ri, Damyang (a general treasure) and the one (a general treasure) outside Dongjeommun Gate in Naju.
In particular, the stone flagpole at Damyang has a stone monument standing next to it, saying that the wooden flagpole fell down in a strong wind in 1839 and was rebuilt with stone.

One flagpole in the Silla style is the flagpole (a general treasure) at Cheonheungsa Temple Site in Cheonan. Cheonheungsa Temple was built around 1010, and this flagpole is an outstanding artifact from early Goryeo that gives us a sense of the beautiful aesthetic of Silla.

The flagpole (general treasure) in Ogwan-ri, Hongseong is slender and reaches 4.8m in height.

When the Joseon Dynasty began, the ruling ideology changed to Confucianism, and Buddhism’s influence rapidly declined, and with it, the custom of erecting flagpoles was discontinued.
However, gwaebul posts, from which large scroll banner paintings of a buddha were hung, continued to be used.

A gwaebul, which is a scroll painting often hung in the temple courtyard, was used in ceremonies such as the Water and Land Ceremony and the Cheondojae ritual that became popular after the Imjin War (Japanese invasions; 1592–1598).
The larger the gwaebul, the larger the two gwaebul posts. Since some gwaebul are as high as 10m, two large gwaebul posts are placed side by side in the temple courtyard.

In this way, flagpoles and sotdae influenced each other, and those two traditions are still carried on today. They are a unique cultural heritage of Koreans.

 Noh Seung-dae has devoted more than 20 years to visiting various sites and studying Korean cultural heritage with an unwavering passion for our culture. The results have been contributed to magazines like Bulkwang and People and Mountains. His Korean publications include Hidden Supporting Actors in Temples and At Temples Goblins Live and So Does Grandmother Samsin.