chungjusanseong (충주산성)
There remains a lively debate over when exactly Chungjusanseong was built, and by whom. The valley within which the city of Chungju is nestled lay on the line of contact between all of Korea’s Three Kingdoms—Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—and so the area was fought over extensively from the 4th through the 7th Century. As such, no fewer than seven mountain castles on the UNESCO World Heritage list are located nearby. More to the point, while it’s likely that Baekje—the “original” owner of the land—built the castle, it might have been constructed by either of the other kingdoms during that tumultous period. Complicating the historians’ task further, throughout history the fortress has also been called by various names including Namsanseong, Geumbongsanseong, and Magoseong.
All that said, Chungjusanseong is an incredible example of what looks to me like Baekje-style castle construction, packed earth with a masonry shell. A couple rather unique innovations make Chungjusanseong stand out, however. First, and maybe most important, there are no stone ramps or even stairs at the gates. These gates are—and were—only accessible by external ladders which could be raised in time of need, providing an extra precaution against attack. Second, while wells and water sources are normally small or difficult to identify in castles of the era, Chungjusanseong’s water reservoir is not only prominent, it’s quite beautiful.
A final note on Chungjusanseong. While the scenery surrounding the castle—and the fortification itself—are truly breathtaking, this was by far the most difficult to find of all the castles we’ve visited in either Korea or Japan. There are no real markings at the trail head and so we missed it. After driving aimlessly on narrow gravel switchbacks, we had to stop and ask a local for directions. Given all the informative signage erected within the castle itself, apparently none was left to tell visitors how to get there. Well worth the trip . . . but consider yourself warned!
After an hour’s walk, we finally got a glimpse of Chungjusanseong. Having begun to doubt the state of this fortress after finding it so remote, I was thrilled to see it in such glorious shape!
The East Gate has no stone approach and—as with all gates at Chungjusanseong—was designed to be only accessible by ladders raised from within. The stairs pictured here provide access from what used to be a parking lot before the access road was closed.
Never quite seen anything like this reservoir inside a Three Kingdoms Era mountain castle (sanseong). Yet there’s really no indication that any of the succeeding dynasties made any improvements to this fortress.
The walls are high and, as was usually the case during the Three Kingdoms Era, devoid of crenelations or battlements.
Even the collapsed wall sections appeared to be in pretty good shape, again making me wonder how much modern plastic surgery had been done to give this beauty a facelift.
North Gate with another five meter or so drop off to the trail head beyond.
Nothing really remains of the West Gate, though it seemed to link to another hiking trail.
The views from Chungjusanseong were amazing, even on a hazy day. The entire city of Chungju is laid out before you. Chungju was a favorite target during the Mongol invasions (1231-1270), and conducted three separate sieges of that walled city. Yet despite the hardship imposed, the residents never capitulated. Note: the left end of the large, dark green patch roughly mid-photo is actually Tangeumdae, where General Sin Rip’s army was destroyed by Japanese invaders in 1592.
Coming up on the North Gate.
Looking into the North Gate from another set of wooden stairs. The drop off outside this gate is less severe and appeared to link to another hiking trail.
I’ve mentioned this before at Three Kingdoms Era castles—and derivative fortifications from 7th Century Japan—but the builders paid much attention to the efficient drainage of water from upslope.
This stone-lined drainage ditch helped keep run-off water from undermining stone walls, allowing water to pass harmlessly through.
Water drainage spout along the Eastern wall.
Some sections of the wall are just spectacular!
The castle is only about 1.2 kilometers around, making it small for the time. Yet the difficulty required to reach the site mitigated against the need for a huge fortress and subsequently large garrison. This view looks down upon the East Gate and reservoir.
The East wall is truly impressive, easily twenty meters high!