Seongjusin

Seongjusin
God of the household and breadwinner
Member of Gasin pantheon
Other namesSeongjosin
Hangul성주신
Venerated inGasin faith
AffiliationGasin
AbodeDaecheong[1]
SymbolSeongju batangi
GenderMale
Ethnic groupKoreans

Seongjusin (Korean: 성주신; Hanja: 城主神, Korean pronunciation: [sʰʌŋ.dzu.sʰin]) is one of the gods worshipped in Korean Gasin faith. Considered the supreme deity among gasins (가신; 家神; lit. 'household deities'), it is responsible for protecting the breadwinner. It is commonly referred to as Seongju (성주; 城主) or Seongjo (성조; 成造).

Seongjusin is the guardian deity of the house and the eldest among the gasins. For this reason, This deity is enshrined in the daecheong,[1] the cleanest place in the house. People often enshrine the Seongju by folding white paper into the shape of a flower and placing three spoonfuls of the sacred rice offered on the ritual table inside, or by folding white paper into a square and placing the rice inside. Sometimes Seongjusin is enshrined in a Seongju batangi (성주바탱이; lit. 'Seongju jar'). In North Jeolla Province, there was a custom called Ttuk Seongju (뚝성주), in which Seongjusin was worshipped only in one’s heart.

Every year on birthdays or holidays, a Jesa was done for Seongjusin, where housewives prayed for abundance and peace. Although the Seongjusin was worshipped alongside other gasins, when a new family was formed or a family moved to a new home, they would sometimes worship only the Seongjusin for a period of time.

References

  1. 1 2 "대청(大廳)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Academy of Korean Studies.