Kim Keumhwa Korean Shaman was one of the most revered ritual specialists of her generation — a naramansin, or “national shaman,” whose art carried the weight of an entire spiritual tradition on her shoulders. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 88, but her rituals, her recordings, and the apprentices she trained continue to carry Korea’s shamanic heritage forward.
Kim Keumhwa was recognized by the Korean government as the official lineage carrier of Important Intangible Cultural Asset #82 — the Baeyongsingut and Daedonggut, the West Sea Fishing Ritual, a multi-day ceremonial tradition rooted in the coastal communities near Incheon. She led a troupe of more than a dozen senior and apprentice shamans and master musicians, many of whom, like her, were displaced from the former northern Hwanghae-do province.
Kim Keumhwa Korean Shaman: A Day in Her Practice
Journalist Lauren W. Deutsch, who spent time as a guest in Kim Keumhwa’s home, documented a rhythm of devotion that ran through every hour of her day:
- Predawn rituals in her home shrine room, replacing water and lighting incense for the spirits before the household woke
- A nearly three-hour daily fitness routine — aerobics, tai chi, and mountain walks — that kept her body ready for the physically demanding, multi-day rituals ahead
- Client consultations that began around 8:30 am, welcoming people seeking guidance on health, relationships, and family matters
- Leading full ceremonial troupes — sometimes over 20 people — to festivals across the country, transporting costumes, instruments, and ritual implements
She was the author of several autobiographical books and the subject of the 2013 documentary Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits, becoming the first Korean shaman to speak about these rituals from a practitioner’s own perspective rather than as an anthropological subject.
Why Kim Keumhwa’s Story Still Matters
Kim Keumhwa’s life is a reminder of what it costs — and what it means — to carry a living tradition forward. She was known for the chaktu-kori, a ritual sequence in which she balanced on the upturned blades of razor-sharp rice-straw cleavers, dancing and offering blessings to a gathered crowd. It’s a striking, physically demanding art form, performed not for spectacle but as an act of devotion.
Her willingness to document and teach her practice — rather than let it remain oral and unrecorded — is part of what makes her legacy so significant for anyone studying or honoring shamanic traditions today. She didn’t guard her knowledge; she built a bridge for it to survive her.
About the Source
This tribute draws on the original reporting of journalist Lauren W. Deutsch, who documented Kim Keumhwa’s daily practice firsthand for Kyoto Journal. You can read her full account of following Kim Keumhwa through a coastal ritual festival, including the community and family dynamics behind the ceremony, in the original piece.
Honoring Her Legacy
Read the original firsthand account: Kim Keumhwa’s Everyday Shamanism, Kyoto Journal. For more on her life in her own words, look for her documentary Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits (2013) and her published memoirs.
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