Flowers Fall at Nakhwa Rock

The cliffs at the end of the northern side of Buso Mountain Fortress are known as the cliffs of ‘falling flowers’. Where did that name come from? There is a story that explains the origin of the name.

In 660, Baekje’s Sabi Castle fell and the collapse of the kingdom was imminent. Sabi Castle was destroyed after the invasion, and acts of arson and plunder were commonplace.

A group of Baekje women were being pursued by the enemy and finally reached these rocky cliffs. With the enemy close behind them and no way of escape, the women chose death over dishonor. One by one, they threw themselves from the top of the cliff into the river. Later, people described the sight of the Baekje women falling into the river as being akin to falling flower petals, and so these cliffs were called ‘Nakhwa Rock’, meaning ‘Falling Flowers Rock’.

The immeasurable sorrow of the Baekje women who shared the grim fate of fallen Baekje has been made the subject of tragic literature throughout the years. The background to their story is right here at Falling Flowers Rock.