160,000 Ceramic Scriptures and Underwater Lacquer Art — Inside Seounam, Tongdosa’s Most Unexpected Hermitage

Close-up of individual ceramic scripture plates (52 cm x 26 cm) displaying Buddhist canon text at Seounam Hermitage

Most travelers who visit Tongdosa Temple explore the main halls, pay their respects, and head back to Busan — never realizing that 19 hermitages (smaller sub-temples, each with its own character) are scattered across the mountain slopes above. On a recent trip, my husband found one that sounded too strange to skip: Seounam Hermitage at … Read more