A Study of Village-Deity Worship in the Wonju Region

A macroscopic examination of village belief systems in the Wonju region reveals that most cases are limited to localized village practices. However, the case of the Garipa Seonghwangdang in Geumchang-ri provides valuable insight into the active involvement of bobusang—itinerant merchants responsible for regional trade and distribution during the premodern era—in communal religious practices. Similar examples can be found in various regions, such as the Sanryeonggak shrine at Sagillyeong in Taebaek and the Saetjae Seonghwangsa shrine in the Twelve Passes of Uljin. It is also of considerable importance that the tradition of worshiping Cheonsin (heavenly deities, 天神), which continues throughout most of Korea, is also found in the Wonju area. Rituals involving Cheonsin, particularly those aimed at invoking rain (giyu, 祈雨), are consistent with patterns widely observed in other regions. In villages around the Wonju region, the Sanshin(mountain deities, 山神) worshipped are primarily those of Chiaksan or Baegunsan. These deities are generally regarded as female gods. This is a crucial element in understanding local village beliefs in conjunction with the mountain deities of the area. The fact that many villages consider their Sanshin to be female suggests that they worshipped the deities of Chiaksan and Baegunsan, which are associated with the concepts of mountain spirits and heavenly kings. Further in-depth analysis of individual cases will be necessary in the future. Most village shrines in the Wonju region are called Seonghwangdang, and the associated rituals are referred to as Seonanggosa or Seonghwangje. Field investigations suggest that Sanshin and Seonghwang were originally worshiped as distinct deities. The present-day practice of joint worship appears to reflect a gradual shift toward prioritizing the Seonghwang deity, resulting from a natural process of ritual integration.