The founder of the Joseon dynasty ,Yi Seong-gye, (Taejo of Joseon, 1335 - 1408) spent the last years of his life here, after abdicating the throne in 1402. After his death, the building (built during the 14th century) was converted into a shrine.            

He was posthumously raised to the rank of Emperor in 1899 by Gojong, the Gwangmu Emperor, who had proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897.