Seosan-daesa (secular name Cheongheo Hyujeong, 1520–1604) is counted among the most eminent Buddhist monks of the Joseon dynasty and among the figures credited with saving the country during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s. At the age of 72 to 73, he took command as Supreme Commander of the monk militia across all eight provinces and sixteen Buddhist orders, issued a call to arms nationwide, and oversaw the rallying of some 5,000 monk soldiers (about 1,500 of them under his direct command); joining forces with the Ming army, they recaptured Pyongyang Fortress, though the frontline command of the recapture was held by his disciple Yujeong (Samyeong-daesa). Before his death, he left instructions that his robe and alms bowl — his ceremonial vestments — be handed down to Daeheungsa Temple. No clear record explains why this particular temple in Haenam was chosen, though it is possible that its relative distance from the worst devastation of the war, being a southern temple, played a role.
Turning this final wish into an officially recognized shrine took a long time. In 1788, the monks of Daeheungsa submitted a formal petition to the royal court, appealing for the crown to grant an official name plaque to a shrine honoring Seosan-daesa's loyalty and righteousness. King Jeongjo approved the request, and in April of 1789 dispatched a royal official to conduct the memorial rites, formally sanctioning the shrine known as Pyochungsa. A single line from a monk-general's dying wish thus crossed 185 years to become a shrine recognized by the state itself. Today, the Daeheungsa Temple complex is designated Historic Site No. 508, and the Mount Duryunsan–Daeheungsa area is designated Scenic Site No. 66.