Gulbawi Rock
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LocationManhwadong-gil Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryTour/ Natural Environment
- Korean굴바위
- Chinese窟-
- Nickname호암(壺岩)
- FieldGeography / Natural Geography
- Contents TypePlace Name / Name of Natural Place
- AreaManhwadong-gil Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A cave in Udong-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Origin of the Name
- The cave was called either “Gulbawi,” for its deep depth or “Hoam” for its guarding stance-like shape and length.
- Natural Environment
- The cave is located on the mid-south side of Namoknyeo Peak, southeast of Byeonsan Peninsula. Visitors to the cave start off from Udong Reservoir, walk along the valley to their left and climb up to find the cave on the right side of the hiking trail leading to Hoiyangjae Hill. Along the coast of Byeonsan-bando (peninsula), there are many sea caves along with weathered caves further inland. Weathered caves lie along joint walls of rocks, which were formed by weathering effects. On Byeongsan peninsula, there are two well-known caves, Ulgeumbawi and Gulbawi. The natural cave Gulbawi located in Udong-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun was formed by weathered volcanic rock named “rhyolite.” It was created after the joint wall of the plunging rocky cliff was destroyed. The total length of the cave is about 30 meters long, and its height reaches over 10 meters at the tallest spot.
- Current Status
- To get to Gulbawi, first find Daebulsa Temple located in the valley to the left of Udong Reservoir and climb up the mountain trail. The cave is about half way up the mountain to your right. According to legend, on the ceiling of Gulbawi, there is a spring called “Okjeong” or “Chamsaem.” At the spring, there was a lid of the kettle made of silver used to scoop the water, and those who drank the spring water using this lid would be cured of any ailment. Since the water was known to be most effective in curing leprosy, many leprosy patients sought this cave to cure their illness. However, during the Japanese colonial era, a Japanese man, living in Julpo, stole the silver lid and the medicinal effect of the water was gone. The cave also has an aperture called “Adeul Gumeong,” literally meaning “Hole for Sons”. The folk legend says if women who could not bear a son threw a stone through the hole, she would bear a son. The opening of the cave gradually narrows, and reaching the end is not possible. It is said that if people put their ear to the rocky floor of the cave, they can hear the sound of a running stream and ocean waves. If one makes a fire, smoke can be seen from as far away as Haechang in Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun. It is said during the Korean War, North Korean partisan soldiers who hid around this area made fires to cook, so inside the cave there must be a vent for smoke to escape.
The surrounding area of the cave, at Udong-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, was formerly called Uban-dong where famous people used to visit and reside. Some of the well-known figures in Korean history include Kim Si-seup (金時習, 1435~1493), who was one of the “six faithful subjects who survived the tyrant King’s persecution,” Heo Gyun (許筠, 1569~1618), who authored “The Biography of Hong Il Dong,”, and the Neo-Confucianist scholar Yu Hyeong-won (柳馨遠, 1622~1673), who also went by his pen name Bangye (磻溪). According to legend, when Heo Gyun came to Buan, he completed his famous novel at Jeongsaam Hermitage, located above Seongye Waterfall near Gulbawi. Byeonsan in Buan-gun had long been considered as one of “ten ideal places to take refuge from war (十勝之地),” of which Udong-ri was said to be the safest. The Gulbawi cave once was a hiding place for bandits on the run. Famous for its stunning landscape and abundant crops, Byeonsan area, Udong-ri in particular, must have been an ideal habitat for many people.