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Location12, Yangji-gil Gyehwa-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean간재 선생 유지
- Chinese艮齋先生遺址
- FieldHistory / Premodern
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Historic Site (General)
- Current Location12, Yangji-gil Gyehwa-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- The historic site located in Gyehwa-ri of Gyehwa-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do is the place where Jeon U (courtesy name: Ganjae, 1841-1922), a Neo-Confucian scholar of late Joseon, studied Confucianism.
- Summary
- The Historic Site of Master Ganjae is the place where Jeon U, a Neo-Confucian scholar of the late Joseon period, studied Confucianism. Jeon U studied Confucianism with the school of Im Heon-hoe (1811-1876) for twenty years. He was given an opportunity to serve in the government in 1882, but retired after a short time in order to further devote himself to his studies. Jeon was devastated by Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910, and consequently withdrew to Gyehwado Island, where he made great efforts to restore the national sovereignty by drawing on the principles of Neo-Confucianism.
- Background of Construction
- In 1908, Jeon U traveled around the Gogunsan Archipelago, staying at Wangdeungdo Island, where he struggled to preserve the tradition of Confucianism as the dark ambitions of the Japanese imperialists to colonize Korea became increasingly apparent. Following Japan’s coercive annexation of Korea in 1910, he moved to Gyehwado Island in September 1912, and spent the rest of his life there teaching local youths until his death in 1922.
- Location
- The Historic Site of Master Ganjae is located at #12 Yangji-gil, Gyehwa-myeon, Buan-gun.
- Layout and Structure
- This historic site (648m2) consists of the Outer Triple Gate (Oesammun) and the Gyeyangsa Shrine enclosed by a stone wall. Built by the pupils of Jeon U in 1933, eleven years after his death, the shrine is a three-bay by two-bay structure with a gable roof with double eaves, and enshrines Jeon U’s portrait. Annual memorial rites are held there to honor his life and achievements. To the left of the shrine is its annex, Gyehwajae, a three-bay by three-bay structure with a hip-and-gable roof with single eaves, which was used as a lecture hall during his lifetime. Opposite the annex is a small exhibition hall which displays a collection of relics associated with Jeon U.
- Current Status
- The Historic Site of Master Ganjae is the place where Jeon U spent the last years of his life teaching the Confucian classics to his pupils. The site comprises a lecture hall (named Gyehwajae), an exhibition hall standing just opposite, and the Gyeyangsa Shrine built by his followers in 1933. The site was designated as Provincial Monument of Jeollabuk-do No. 23 on September 27, 1974.
- Historical Significance
- Some of Jeon U’s contemporaries criticized him for dedicating himself to Neo-Confucian studies while disregarding the righteous army movement’s struggle against the Japanese imperialists. He disregarded such criticism, remaining firm in his conviction that teaching the Neo-Confucian classics to youth would promote their fight against the greed of Imperial Japan, and spent the last phase of his life nurturing the national spirit among local youth.