Reinterpretation of the Seowon Architecture of Sarim in Choseon Dynasty: Evaluating the Seowon of the Kiho School

조선시대 사림의 서원건축 재해석: 기호학파 서원에의 가치부여

Seowon(書院) is a representing institution in Choseon Dynasty not only educationally but also politically and economically. Due to the artificial crackdown by Daewon-gun in 1871 and destruction by wars, it is difficult to restore and interpret the Seowon accurately at present. It is well known that the 'Basic Form' of the Seowon consists of an inner court, enclosed by the rear gangdang (lecture hall), dongseo-jae (east and west dormitory), and the front munlu (gate pavilion or upper story bower for relaxation), represented by so called 'front-dormitory rear-lecture-hall type', that is, 'jeonjae hudang(前齋後堂) type'. However, it is overlooked that this Basic Form is a product of Youngnam School located only in Youngnam area. A different form, of 'front-lecture-hall rear-dormitory type', or 'jeonndang hujae(前堂後齋) type' is located only in Gyeonggi, Hoseo and Honam area. It has been wrongly analyzed that the type is a result of the later period, emphasizing the memorial service rather than the lecture itself, and worshipping loyalists than Confucian scholars. Analysis encompassing each Seowon architecture has been mistakenly made by historians as "deterioration" of the original educational purpose of the Seowon from the early period to the later period. This paper raises the fact that the form of jeondang hujae type has been established since the early period of Seowon in the 16th Century. It has a unique order of space itself. Here, the lecture hall faces toward sadang (shrine). The inner court, enclosed by east and west jae and the lecture hall, becomes the outer yard of the shrine, and as a result two main spaces of the shrine and lecture area is merged into one. While the munlu of the basic type encloses the inner court of the main area, the munlu of jeondang hujae type is located at the vicinity area. This paper reinterprets the jeondang hujae type not as a form coming out of degenerated period but as a type that belongs to a different Confucian school, the area of Kiho, and concludes that the Seowon is a product of political struggles between the two schools and of the local economical situation. Each school has maintained his own type of form, therefore the remaining Kiho Seowon architecture can be reevaluated.