Teoju Daegam- Korean SpiritSpirit"Master of the House Site"
Also known as: Teoju, 터주대감, 터주, 터주신, and Teoju-sin
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Symbols
Description
Spirit of the land beneath the house, the site that existed before the building rose and will remain after it falls. Teoju Daegam must be notified before construction begins, and his earthen jar in the backyard, wrapped in sacred straw rope and filled with grain, must be refreshed to keep the ground beneath the family's feet auspicious.
Mythology & Lore
The Spirit of the Ground
Teoju Daegam, the "Great Official of the Site," inhabits and governs the land on which a Korean home stands. In the gasin sinang system of household spirit belief, each part of a home has its resident spirit. Seongju-sin dwells in the main ridgepole, and Jowang-sin watches over the kitchen hearth. Teoju Daegam claims the earth beneath it all.
Before breaking ground, families performed rituals to notify Teoju Daegam and secure permission to build on his domain. A geomancer assessed the site's pungsu properties. A shaman communicated with the land spirit through gut ceremonies, offering rice and rice wine to appease him before the first stone was laid.
The Teojutgari
The center of Teoju Daegam's ongoing veneration is the teojutgari: an earthen jar (onggi) set in the backyard or near the rear of the house, wrapped with a straw rope (geumjul) that marks it as a sacred vessel. The jar is filled with unhusked rice, an offering that sustains the spirit. Periodically the grain is replaced with fresh offerings and the old rice returned to the household stores.
At Lunar New Year and the autumn harvest festival Chuseok, families renewed their offerings with particular care. A neglected Teoju Daegam might withdraw his protection, and harmful energy could seep upward through the earth, bringing misfortune to the family above. When a household relocated, the teojutgari could not simply be abandoned. Proper farewell rites acknowledged the spirit before departure.