Autumn of Jongmyo
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
I was the first person to enter Jongmyo Shrine that day. I dashed toward the Jaegung Office as soon as I entered the outer gate, wanting to take a good picture of the autumn scenery of Jongmyo Shrine. Usually, employees working at Jongmyo would have swept the fallen leaves to one side early in the morning. Yet, on that day, while I still could see the employees with brooms around, the fallen leaves were still laid on the floor as if they had left those leaves there intentionally. Even though I didn't ask them directly, I believe it must have been a careful consideration to share the beautiful scenery with visitors. Looking at Samdo covering red maple leaves and golden ginkgo leaves like blankets in the drizzle and fog, I admired the moment permeated by such vivid colors. I won two awards at the Jongmyo Photo Contest, with two photos taken that day.
Sometimes, I leaned against the pillars of the South Gate of Jeongjeon Hall to listen to the sound of raindrops falling from the end of the eaves, then soon, and I got lost in thought. Taking a walk in Jongmyo Shrine under the clear autumn sky is one thing, but its authentic charm reveals in the rainy morning. Fallen leaves thicken their colors by getting wet, and the colors of old tiles deepen than the color or soil they are born with. You can genuinely appreciate autumn here, which is only getting shorter as the years go by.
023. The red maple tree and Oedaemun Gate | 2017 
036. The roof of Sejajesil Chamber and maple trees | 2018 
038. The ginko tree near the east wall of Jeongjeon Hall | 2018
039. Autumn scenery around the west gate of Jaegung Office | 2019
040. Red maple leaves around Jaegung Office | 2019