Jikjisa (Korean: 직지사; Hanja: 直指寺) is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Seon Buddhism.

The story is that in 936 when Great Master Neungyeo reconstructed the temple, he didn’t use a ruler but instead he used his own hands to measure the land and construction materials, thus, the name Jikji.

The colors black, blue, red, white and yellow correspond respectively to north, east, south, west and center.

That is why the mountain is called Hwangaksan and why Jikjisa has been considered one of Korea's foremost temples since ancient times.

During the Joseon era, an earthenware urn holding the placenta from the birth of Joseon's second king, Jeongjong, was enshrined on a Hwangaksan peak north of Jikjisa which is auspicious “snake-head formation” from a geomantic perspective, making the temple the guardian of the royal placenta.

When Yujeong was 18, he earned the highest score in the State Examination for Monks, and later, when he was 30, he became the head of Jikjisa Temple.

Yujeong quickly responded to a letter sent by his teacher Seosan and organized and led a righteous army, eventually gaining fame for his leadership.

In 1800 that gingko tree was destroyed in a fire that also burned down Manseru Pavilion, but the flat stone next to the Heavenly Kings’ Gate remains.