A week in the life of me in Seoul: There’s a sound echoing all around the mountainside as the winter sun sets, casting an orange glow on everything. On weird rock formations that resemble people, mudang pray to the mountain gods. Their trance-like chanting is the sound I hear from far away, travelling on the wind from high rocky peaks. Here on Iwangsan (which translates as ‘Tiger Mountain’), you can see shamanist rituals, offerings at shrines to the spirits of nature, as well as amazing views of Seoul. Right smack in the city limits, this mountain rises up from a busy sea of concrete, but from up here it seems tranquil and the quiet is just what I need! Sadly there are no tigers, at least not anymore, but their images still decorate the sides of temples here. The aged and yet timeless mountain god is usually depicted on temples as an ancient man with a long white beard riding a tiger. I can’t help it, but when I see this I think of the lyrics of ‘Holy Diver’ by Ronnie James Dio, ‘Ride the Tiger!’ Old peaceful temples and Dio…a good mixture. Coming up here to one of the many mountains surrounding Seoul, you can really feel out on your own. Passing an ancient bronze bell about my height, I walk amid a complex of Buddhist temples perched on the hillside, in winding lanes wide enough for one person only, and up worn steps to the sound of shamanist ritual music. This place is a world away from the high-rise universe in the background, and yet the crisscrossing telephone cables overhead and satellite dishes fixed onto temple roofs, put this place square in the real world. I had read about this place and was hoping to see some shamanistic rituals taking place out in the open on this mountain. This is the oldest and still most mysterious religion in Korea. Based in the primeval belief in the power of nature, and the concept that by praying and giving offerings to the spirits, they will look after us in return, Similar beliefs exist all over the world, from the shamans of the Mongolian steppe who worship the Sky Father, Tengri, and the Earth Mother, to the Native Americans, shamanism is as alive today as it was thousands of years ago. The closest relation to Korean shamanism would probably be Japan and its Shinto faith in the gods, guardians and spirits of nature. It is truly amazing to see this way of life first-hand, people praying in the same way as the ancient people that walked the Earth.
The shamanistic shrine here on the mountain was originally on Namsan ( the ‘South Mountain’), but it was leveled by the Japanese invasion forces. Soon after, it was rebuilt in secret where it stands today, and remained hidden on this mountain all this time, facing its original site and overlooking Seoul. As I came to the shrine there was a ceremony taking place. Loud cymbal crashes could be hear from way below, and as I got closer the music became more frantic. Drums, flutes, bells, all accompanied the ritual to the gods. I couldn’t see what was going on inside, it was closed to outsiders like me! As I walked past the door swung open for a moment, and a woman came out dressed in bright pink colors, inside was full of people similarily dressed in the brightest most garish colors. Food was piled in offering to the spirits that live on the mountain, and they danced to the tantric sounds. Overlooking the temples I found huge ghostly figures looking down on me, they are called Zen Rocks. Eroded by wind and rain for a thousand years they now look like weird faces, and one appears as if a giant tiger has scratched its massive paw along it. A Buddhist monk was explaining about it to two girls, as I gazed out across the horizon, the sun setting, a peaceful golden hue covering the city, and distant peaks standing guard over the people below. Walking along the granite rocks on a mountain path worn away by the elements, I came across one old woman, and two groups praying. In each group the woman took the lead beating the drum, or cymbal in a fast dance-like rhythm as she chanted. Women have a special role in shamanism, related to the idea of the Earth Mother, but men can also commune with these spirits The Mudang is a conduit for the spirits, which come to them and communicate through them, there are photographs of old Mudang dancing on the blade of a sword while chanting is a strange, otherworldy voice. Many use this power to tell the future, as they have done for centuries, and still do today in Korea. People go to the shamans to find out their destiny, and although in the predominantly Christian and Buddhist modern Korea they are viewed with mystery and seen as something best kept away from, they are becoming more and more popular with young people as fortune tellers. All along the streets, near Konkuk University for example, you’ll see queues of girls lined up waiting to hear about romance, exam results, and the unexpected at the semi-permanent red tents of the fortune tellers. In this way, the idea of the shaman fortune tellers is taking on a new and cool image for the 21st century. Less and less are they seen with fear or suspicion by the very devout Christian youths, going to the fortune teller is for fun, and not such a big deal anymore. That’s how traditions are transformed and kept alive down through the ages. Shamanism might go through a lot of changes, as well as a huge make-over to fit into the modern fast paced life of Seoul, but it seems like it can be easily adapted into life here. Seoul has an incomparable variety, and living here shows that all the time. In one week I can be watching shamanist rituals on a mountain top, and then come face-to-face with a couple of gangsters. ‘Jo Pok’ are the Korean yakuza, and did I mention we were all naked at the time? Yeah, the public baths are an experience in Seoul, where you can bump into anyone. When in Korea, do like the Koreans! You have to get over any qualms about getting naked, so get over it strip down and jump in. The saunas, or public baths, are a great way to totally get away from the pace of the streets, or in cold weather like it is right now, it’s the best place to be! Warm, heated floors are the best Korean invention, and have been employed for a thousand years in the palaces and traditional houses. It worked by lighting a fire under the floor, in a stove that heated the entire house from underneath. This is much more sensible and works much better than how we do it at home. In the sauna, or jimjilbang, you can chill out in various hot baths and steam rooms, and even sleep there. And so it was, waking up early from a night there that I ran into two Korean gangters, the Jo Pok. One was sleeping like a baby, totally covered in tattoos. Like the Japanese yakuza, the Jo Pok are tattooed from head to foot, marking them out to all as people you don’t mess with. Everywhere but head, hands and feet is tattooed with intricate floral and animal designs. Unfortunately, my Korean isn’t up to scratch (apart from getting by in basic conversations involving food!), so we got by with a combination of gestures and broken Korean and English. He told me that he didn’t have to pay for the tattoos, I guess they come with the job! Jo Pok are really active in Korea, and their own brand of organized crime and violence has an edge, guns are illegal in Korea, so the gangsters stick to knives, and machetes. Having lived here, I know that Korea is one of the safest countries in the world, people here can park their motorbikes on the street with the keys left in, and even the engine running. Girls can leave laptops in a café without any worry that three hours later when they come back it won’t have run away! Of course, in every country there is an underworld, and in Korea it can be lethal to anyone that goes off the beaten track, even if they are friendly guys, you have to watch out!
So, between encounters with shamans on the tranquil mountain and gangsters in the sauna, this week in Seoul has been more than cool.
23 Nov 2009 Seoul
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