• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.27-42
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• 2018

This study aims to reinterpret Jeonggwanheon(靜觀軒) in terms of its use and architectural style after restoration work through the recently discovered [Deoksugung Palace's original plan](1915). It is presupposed that the existing interpretation of Jeonggwanheon, such as its status as the banquet hall of the Imperial Empire and the place where Emperor Gojong enjoyed coffee here, was a fantasy made from the transformation after the 1930s. When it was built around 1900, Jeonggwanheon arranged small and large rooms around the corridor in the center, and the porch surrounded the three sides of the building. From 1900 to 1907, there is no remaining record telling us who did what or when something happened in Jeonggwanheon except for several portraits of Emperor Gojong and his son which were drawn in 1902. The mixed use of brickwork and wooden porch are found in many of American style houses built in Incheon and Seoul at that time. Especially, the style and decoration of wooden porch seem to be influenced by Queen Anne style in the 19th century in America.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2018

The stylobate for expanding the external stage area was the most frequently installed installment out of the installments installed for royal court ceremonies. The stylobate was installed for various ceremonies such as funeral rites, ancestral rites, customary formalities, state examination, feasts for celebrating a honored guest of the court, queen's silkworm cultivating ceremony, heir appointment, the presentation of honorary titles for the king or queen in honor of their merits, and entertainment of foreign dignitaries. The exact period stylobates came to be used for the play stage. The stylobate consists of the 紅座板, 屯太木, 竹欄間, 足木, and the 層橋. Depending on the 足木, the substructure of the stylobate, the stylobate could be divided into the 長足木, 中足木, 短足木, 平足木 type. The detail structure of the stylobate changed in form from the jokmok and duntaemok that appeared until the time of King Seonjo, into the 長屯太木, 短屯太木, and the 短短屯太木 during the time of King Heonjong. With the introduction of the 中足木, materials began to become more segmented and the structure stronger. According to existing records, while the height of the stylobate was not significantly high prior to King Seonjo's reign, the 十四層雲橋 and the 十三層層橋 introduced during the time of Emperor Gojong was designed to reflect his rank in external ceremonies while the eight story step bridge was exhibited in internal ceremonies to reflect the rank of Queen Mother Sinjeong. From here, we can deduce that the fourteen and thirteen story cloud bridges representing the king was of a higher grade than the eight story step bridge which represented the queen mother. Finishing by adding boards to the lower part of the stylobates began to appear in the time of King Seonjo. During King Heonjong's reign, the lower finish became gentrified with a thin board called 修粧板, and yeomupan 廉隅板 for decorating the edges of the stylobates were installed. Such style of finishing the lower part of the stylobate with boards mostly appeared in elaborate feasts 進饌 and celebrations 進宴 within the royal court 內宴. The stylobates appeared to have served not only practical purposes such as expanding the stage area, but also as installments which realize the authority and prestige of the royal crown. They were installed according to the purpose of the ceremony and the rank of the participant. In short, stylobates became established during King Seonjo's reign, became segmented and gentrified during King Heonjong's reign, and began to take height variations during Emperor Gojong's reign to reflect the rank and authority of the king and queen mother. As such, it can be considered another characteristic of Joseon Dynasty architecture.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.126-149
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• 2021

The reign of King (later Emperor) Gojong of the Joseon dynasty (later the Korean Empire), which lasted from 1863 to 1907, was a period of turmoil caused by political and social instability at home and military incursions by foreign powers. It was also a period in which Joseon was proclaimed as the Korean Empire and, accordingly, the royal seals of the dynasty underwent a major change. Records show that some 135 seals were produced during the reign of Gojong. The present study of the makers and styles of the royal seals aims to reveal a wealth of information on the seals, which typically had handles in the shape of either a turtle or dragon. Among the seal makers of this era, Jeon Heung-gil was particularly highly regarded as a Golden Royal Seal Artisan (Geumbojang) because he was highly skilled at making both turtle and dragon handles. Kim Eun-seok, a master Jade Royal Seal Artisan (Okbojang), also excelled in the production of turtle and dragon handles for his jade seals. Another master Jade Royal Seal Artisan, Yi Jung-ryeo, is noteworthy because he developed a new style of jade royal seals, which eventually became the dominant style after 1890, when Kim Eun-seok was not active. Furthermore, after the 1890s, his style was also applied to the production of the gold royal seals and developed as the dominant style. Regarding the dragon handles adopted after the proclamation of the Korean Empire, both the golden and the jade royal seals were made in the same style by the same artisans in the service of the Joseon dynasty. They adopted the style of Chinese imperial seals when they began making seals with dragon handles for the Korean Empire, although the basic shapes of both handle and dragon were copied from those made during the Joseon period. As a ceremonial object symbolizing the authority and legitimacy of the royal or imperial family, the style of the royal seals was influenced mainly by changes in the political situation at home and abroad. As Gojong's reign was a period in which more royal seals were made than in the reign of any other ruler, the seals originating from his reign constitute a richer source of information about the efforts of the dynasty to preserve the tradition while effectively dealing with the changes of the new era.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.69
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• pp.297-324
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• 2017

Recognizing that the ideological nature of Taoist Gwonseonseo whose publication was concentrated during the reign of King Gojong was connected to that of Jeoseungjeon, a Hangul manuscript novel in the 19th century, this study set out to examine the periodic significance of Taoist Gwonseonseo in the 19th century and check the ideological nature of Jeoseungjeon. Taoist Gwonseonseo puts an emphasis on Confucian ethics including loyalty and filial piety in a didactic aspect and shows that the practice of Confucian ethics brings good fortune, which was prominent in many private Taoist books that were huge hits in the latter part of Joseon, when Chinese Taoist Gwonseonseo was introduced in Joseon, translated and circulated in Korean, and spread widely among the public. Those works offer very specific cases of individuals doing good or evil deeds in this world and suffering the consequences in the next world. Jeoseungjeon presents the Buddhist experiences with the next world as the foundation with the next world depicted around the Great Jade Emperor, who emphasizes Confucian ethics, and the hierarchy of Taoist gods under the ultimate the Great Jade Emperor, thus clearly demonstrating the combination pattern of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in the latter half of Joseon. The work describes the scenes of judgment and punishment in the next world according to the witness of the main character and thus gives specific ideas of daily goods, which is a feature found in the latter half of Joseon different from the previous pattern of next world experiences. It is Taoist Gwonseonseo widely spread among the people those days that connects the link.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.52-77
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• 2016

A spirit tablet of king Guan Yu is enshrined in Donggwanwangmyo shrine[East Shrine of King Guan Yu], which houses 51 hanging boards. The hanging boards were written by the kings of Joseon Dynasty and envoys and generals of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Most studies on hanging boards have been focused on the collections of the palaces but not on those in Donggwanwangmyo shrine. In this regard, this study researches the hanging boards of the kings' writings in the late Joseon period and analyzes their forms and contents. In terms of contents, it examines who made the boards, when they made them, and what brought them to make them, etc. This study analyzes the forms of hanging boards by types, used materials, and periodic transition of forms. The findings are as follows. First, Donggwanwangmyo shrine houses 7 pieces of hanging boards inscribed with kings' handwriting: one piece of King Sukjong, 4 pieces of King Yeongjo, and 2 pieces of Emperor Gojong. They are divided into two types: one is the name of the buildings and the other is the poems that the kings wrote regarding what they felt when they visited the shrine. Especially, the latter were written by the kings who visited the shrine in spring and autumn. The kings intended to promote peace of royal family through a sense of royalty and fidelity of King Guan Yu. Second, the hanging boards of the kings are differentiated from those of the envoys and generals of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in materials and forms. The background of the board is colored by blue, deep red lacquer color, and black lacquer color, which are more expensive than black color or white color. The hanging boards are embossed with the kings' handwritings and then colored with gold. The frame-style four-side hanging board is held at a 45-degree angle and painted with floral patterns and seven-treasure patterns in Dancheong technique. The left and right sides and the top and bottom sides of the board are decorated with Dang-cho pattern(Korean arabesque pattern). This style is called "quadrilateral"and considered the most classy and top-class among the other three ones. In conclusion, this study confirms the status of Donggwanwangmyo shrine with hanging boards inscribed with kings' handwritings as a political space where kings had interest and demanded their soldiers' royalty and fidelity. Research into the boards inscribed with the handwritings of envoys of the Ming Dynasty and generals of the Qing Dynasty, and the comparison of the styles and periodic transition of forms will be reserved for another study.