Jikjisa
Buddhist temple
Jikjisa (Korean: 직지사) is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Seon Buddhism. It is located on the slopes of Hwangaksan in Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It may be one of the oldest temples in South Korea.
History
Jikjisa was established in 418 by Preceptor Ado. Buddhism, a religion originating in what is now India, was transmitted to Korea via China in the late 4th century. The Samguk yusa records Ado among 3 monks who first brought Buddhist teaching, or Dharma, to Korea: Malananta (late 4th century) - an Indian Buddhist monk who brought Buddhism to Baekje in the southern Korean peninsula, Sundo -a Chinese Buddhist monk who brought Buddhism to Goguryeo in northern Korea, and Ado - a monk who brought Buddhism to Silla in central Korea.
There are two stories concerning this temple's name, Jikji (직지; 直指, literally “pointing with an index finger”). One is that Ado pointed to Hwangaksan from Dorisa in Seonsan, and said, “There is also a good temple site on that mountain. The story is that in 936 when Great Master Neungyeo reconstructed the temple, he didn’t use a ruler but instead he used his own hands to measure the land and construction materials, thus, the name Jikji.
Hwangaksan (literally “Yellow Mountain”), on which Jikjisa stands, represents the color yellow, one of the five colors that correspond to the Wu Xing.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Jikjisa” as buddhist temple. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as buddhist temple. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q625286.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jikjisa”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jikjisa primary sources, Jikjisa archive and Jikjisa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jikjisa”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jikjisa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.