Gim Yusin金庾信

Gim Yusin.

The eldest son of Seohyeon, of the rank of gakgan, of the Gim clan, who was the son of Horyeok, of the rank of igan, was called Yusin, and his younger brother was called Heumsun.

His elder sister was Bohui, whose childhood name was Ahae. His younger sister was Munhui, whose childhood name was Aji.

Lord Yusin was born in the seventeenth year of King Jinpyeong, an eulmyo year.

He had received the essence of the seven stars, and so on his back was the pattern of the seven stars, and there were many other wonders about him.

At the age of eighteen, in an imsin year, he trained with the sword, gained its art, and became a gukseon.

At that time there was a man named Baekseok (白石). No one knew where he had come from, and he had belonged to the band for years.

The nang plotted deeply day and night about attacking Goguryeo and Baekje.

Baekseok learned of the plan and said to the nang, "May I go with you in secret to scout the other side first, and then we can make our plans. What do you say?"

The nang was glad, and taking Baekseok with him set out by night.

While they were resting on a ridge, two women came following the nang.

When they reached the Golhwacheon and stayed the night, another woman suddenly arrived.

While the lord was talking happily with the three young women, they offered him fine fruit.

The nang took it and ate. His heart consented, they came to trust one another, and then he told them of his purpose.

The young women said, "We have already heard what you have said. We ask you to send Baekseok away and come with us into the woods, and tell us the truth of the matter again."

So they went in together, and the young women at once revealed their divine forms and said,

"We are the gods who guard the state at three places, Naerim, Hyeollye, and Golhwa.

Now a man of the enemy state is luring you and leading you away, and you are going on your road without knowing it. We came here to keep you from going."

When they had finished speaking, they vanished.

The lord heard this and fell down in astonishment. He bowed twice and came out.

Staying at the Golhwa lodge, he said to Baekseok, "Now we are going to another country, but I have forgotten an important document. Let us go back home together and fetch it."

So they went back home together. There he bound Baekseok, beat him, and questioned him, and he said this.

"I am by birth a man of Goguryeo.〔Old books say Baekje, but this is wrong. Chunam was a scholar of Goguryeo. Also, the matter of going against yin and yang was in the time of King Bojang.〕

The ministers of my country said, 'Yusin of Silla is Chunam (楸南), the diviner of our country'〔Old books write Chunnam, but this is wrong.〕.

At the border of the country there was water that flowed backward〔Some say it was a matter of male and female being reversed.〕, and they had him divine it.

He reported, 'The great king's wife has gone against the way of yin and yang, and so the omen is like this.'

The great king was startled and puzzled, but the queen was greatly angered. She said these were the words of a wicked fox, and told the king, 'Test him again with some other matter, and if he is wrong, give him a heavy punishment.'

So they hid a rat in a box and asked, 'What is this?'

He reported, 'This is surely a rat, and its number is eight.'

Then they said he was wrong and were about to behead him, and he swore, 'After I die, I wish to become a great general and surely destroy Goguryeo.'

They beheaded him at once, then cut open the rat's belly and looked, and there were seven young. So they knew his earlier words had hit the mark.

That night the great king dreamed that Chunam entered the bosom of the wife of Lord Seohyeon of Silla. When he told this to the ministers, they all said, 'Chunam swore in his heart and died, and this is indeed the result.'

That is why they sent me here, to carry out the plan."

The lord then punished Baekseok, and prepared every kind of food to sacrifice to the three gods. All of them appeared in bodily form and received the offerings.

When Lady Jaemae of the Gim clan died, she was buried in the valley above Cheongyeon, and so it was named Jaemae Valley.

Every year in spring the men and women of the whole clan gathered for a feast by the stream south of the valley.

At that time all the plants were in flower, and pine blossoms filled the woods of the valley.

At the mouth of the valley a hermitage was built, and so it was named the Pine Blossom Chamber (松花房). It was handed down and became a votive temple.

In the time of the fifty-fourth king, King Gyeongmyeong, the lord was given the posthumous title Great King Heungmu (興武大王).

His tomb is north of Moji Temple on the western mountain, on a peak that faces east.