Korea’s lost Sajik Daeje rituals brought back to life after more than a century

An ancient Korean ritual that was forbidden during Japanese colonial rule has been restored with its sounds and sights taking center stage here in Seoul.

Our Park Hyo-been was there.

Sounds and moves from a century ago are once again coming to life.

This is the Sajik Jeryeak, the music and dance that accompanied the royal ritual ---the Sajik Daeje ---dedicated to the gods of land and grain, praying for abundant harvests and the well-being of the people from the Joseon Dynasty to the Korean Empire.

This week, the National Gugak Center staged the Sajik Jeryeak to honor the ritual's cultural value, which was recognized as a national heritage.

"The Sajik Jerye was a powerful symbol of statehood. The music performed during the rite embodied the highest artistic and philosophical ideals of the time, carefully managed by the state itself."

This performance re-created the version from the Korean Empire era.

It begins with the emperor's arrival at the Sajik altar and follows the ritual until his departure.

Unlike modern reinterpretations, the focus here was on faithfully restoring the music and dances of the past, rather than reinventing them.

But Sajik Jeryeak also carries a painful history.

During the Japanese occupation period, the ritual was abolished, and its music and dances were lost.

To mark the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Sajik Daeje was revived after an 80-year absence, and the National Gugak Center presented it as a stage performance for the first time last year.

"Reviving the Sajik Jeryeak is not only about restoring music and dance. It's about reclaiming our cultural identity and national pride. Bringing it back in its full form, as it was performed in the Korean Empire, holds deep historical meaning."

Despite the history and essence, the Sajik Jeryeak is still less recognized by the public.

The National Gugak Center hopes to have the ritual eventually inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, just like the Jongmyo Jeryeak.

"We are working with the goal of having the Sajik Jeryeak officially recognized as a cultural treasure and eventually as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage."

And so, more than a century after being silenced, the voices of the Sajik Jeryeak rise again, reminding us that heritage, once lost, can be reborn to inspire a new generation.

Park Hyo-been, Arirang News.