• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.280-301
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• 2021

Chogak has been regarded as originating from the paintings decorating building elements. Various curved shape drawings that were first seen in the paintings of Goguryeo tomb murals evolved into the vine patterned Dancheong of Geuklakjeon in Bongjeongsa. Cheomcha of Geuklakjeon was chiseled with Yeonhwadusik relievo at the bottom on top of Dancheong, and this was the beginning of Cheomcha-Chogak. Also, Cheomcha, which was carved with a preliminary vine patterned Chogak in Daeungjeon in Bongjeongsa, opened the era of engraving Chogak directly on the surface of structural elements. Since then, vine patterned Chogak was a significant decoration technique for the Cheomcha of traditional wooden construction for a long time. Because Jeongjagak is a structure that was continuously built between the end of the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 and the late Joseon Dynasty, the transition of Cheomcha-Chogak over time can be seen through Jeongjagak architecture. The early Cheomcha-Chogak presents stems that climb up (Upbound-type) towards the headpiece on a column, while stems of Chogak later reversed direction to descend (Downbound-type) from the headpiece. This study examined the transition process and reasons for the change, with a focus on the findings above, and identified a new type of Chogak that is unrelated to the direction type and was adopted during the transition from Upbound-type to Downbound-type. The new type appeared when the Jeongjagaks for the Royal Tomb of Kyeongjo and those of the Injo were built, and it matches with the transitional period wherein lotus vanishes from Hwaban-Chogak. The study also inferred that the direction change of Cheomcha-Chogak stems was caused by the separation of vine patterned Chogak, carved with a two-stepped inner Ikgon, into both upward and downward from the headpiece, and this led to the changes that manifested as the inside of Choikgong being the Downbound-type Chogak and the variegated vine patterned Chogak of Choikgong affecting the direction of Cheomcha-Chogak. This is the follow-up study of "A Study on the Hwaban-Chogak of the Neungwon-Jeongjagak," a paper published in 2018, and is limited in n that Cheomcha, the focus of the research, is just one of the construction elements of Jeongjagak. The entirety ofChogak cannot be understood only by observing Cheomcha.