Temple story · Traditional attribution
The Buddha from the Sea
The naming tradition of Yonggungsa
Encyclopedia of Korean Culture: 'Yonggungsa on Baegunsan'; Incheon Metropolitan City folktales: 'The Stone Buddha of Yonggungsa, Pulled from the Sea'
Around 1860, it is said, a fisherman named Yun from Yeodanpo pulled up a Buddha statue made of jade from the waters near Jakyakdo and enshrined it at this temple.
In the version recorded by the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, a fisherman named Yun from Yeodanpo pulled a jade Buddha statue from the sea near Jakyakdo around 1860 and enshrined it at this temple. Accordingly, it is said, Heungseon Daewongun moved the temple back to its old site, rebuilt it there and renamed it from Gudamsa to Yonggungsa, yonggung being the palace beneath the sea where the Dragon King is said to live. In the folktale retold by Incheon City, the fisherman is a man named Son, the find is a stone Buddha about the size of a forearm caught in his net while fishing for croaker off Yeonpyeongdo, and that statue was later plundered during Japanese colonial rule. Heungseon Daewongun is said to have stayed at the temple for ten years, praying for his son to take the throne. Look for the temple's name plaque, said to be in his hand.