The Janggyeong Panjeon of Haeinsa () is a building complex that houses the printing woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana and other Buddhist scriptures. It is located on Gayasan mountain in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Built in the 15th century, the complex was designated as a National Treasure of South Korea in 1962 and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1995. Its scientific design has contributed to the preservation of the woodblocks for more than 600 years.

Background and history Haeinsa temple, built in 802 (third year of the reign of Aejang of Silla), is thought to have been constructed as an expression of gratitude for Buddha’s power in curing the queen’s illness.

From 1236 to 1251, the Tripitaka Koreana was produced to invoke Buddha's power to repel the Mongol invasions of Korea. It consists of 81,352 printing woodblocks. Although it was made in Namhae County and stored in Ganghwa Island, it was moved to its present-day location in 1398 due to frequent invasions of waegu. It was designated as a Memory of the World in 2007.

Although the date of its first construction is unknown, the janggyeong panjeon is considered as the oldest extant structure of Haeinsa. It went through a major renovation in 1457 (third year of the reign of Sejo of Joseon) and was rebuilt in 1488 under the supervision of monk Hakjo and with the support of the royal family. As it is located in a mountain, it escaped damage during the Imjin War. It underwent two more renovation works in 1622 and 1624.

In 1951 during the Korean War, Colonel Kim Yeong-hwan defied orders and stopped the bombing of Haeinsa. In recognition of his actions, Haeinsa enshrined his spirit tablet inside the building. It was later designated as a National Treasure of South Korea in 1962 and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1995. It is considered as the only building in the world constructed to store the Tripitaka woodblocks.

Characteristics The complex consists of two long and two shorter buildings placed in a rectangular layout. Sudarajangjeon, located in the south, and Beopbojeon, located in the north, are 15 kan wide and 2 kan deep while Dongsaganpanjeon and Seosaganpanjeon are 2 kan wide and 2 kan deep. While the former two buildings house the Tripitaka Korea woodblocks carved by workers of the central government, the latter two buildings house supplementary and miscellaneous woodblocks carved by workers of the temple or local government.글로벌 세계 대백과사전/사회 I·문화재/문화재/중요 문화재/경상남도 The latter woodblocks were designated as Treasure of South Korea in 1982.

The buildings do not have decorative elements to fully serve their function as a repository. They have a hip roof. Round columns with pronounced entasis are set on various forms of flat foundation stones (평초석; 平礎石) and topped with column heads (주두; 柱頭).

Design for the preservation of woodblocks The buildings' scientific design and arrangement of shelves enable effective ventilation, moisture control, and maintenance of appropriate indoor temperature. The windows on the facade are larger in the lower section and smaller in the upper section while the arrangement is reversed on the rear. This allows air to enter through the larger lower windows at the front, circulate in the building, and exit through the larger windows on the back, thereby promoting natural ventilation. Also, the clay floor which contains layers of charcoal, powdered lime, salt, and sand absorbs moisture during the humid summer and releases it during the dry winter. In addition, the building faces southwest to receive as much sunlight as possible. The shelves are open on all four sides, helping to reduce humidity. Also, they are set away from the walls to prevent direct exposure of the woodblocks to sunlight and are elevated approximately 30cm above the ground to protect them from moisture rising from the floor.

In modern society The Gak data centers of Naver Corporation, located in Chuncheon and Sejong City, are named after the complex, reflecting their mission to protect important records. They combine traditional design elements with modern eco-friendly techniques.

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See also Woodblock printing in Korea

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