Documents of Gwon Ju’s Family

These are old documents and books held by the head family descended from the civil official Gwon Ju (1457–1505), spanning the period from the reign of King Seongjong to that of Yeonsangun. There are fourteen items in nine categories in total. Gwon Ju passed the civil service examination in 1480 and held posts including registrar of the Royal Secretariat and section chief of the Board of Public Works, before rising to chief royal secretary and governor of Chungcheong Province. In 1482, the thirteenth year of King Seongjong, he was stripped of his office for having carried the poisoned draught to the deposed Queen Yun — Yeonsangun's birth mother — when she was ordered to drink it, but because he had merely been carrying out his duty he escaped execution and was sent into exile instead. However, when the matter resurfaced in June 1505, he was ultimately made to drink poison and died. He was known for a frugal, dignified character and for doing his utmost in whatever post he held. The old documents, dating from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries, consist of four kinds in seven items: a royal certificate announcing his pass in the civil examination, a royal letter of appointment received when he was governor of Chungcheong, a royal edict granting special privileges to a provincial governor, and a bunjaegi, a record drawn up when dividing property and slaves among his children. The books comprise five kinds in seven volumes, including the Dongbangnok, a collection of writings by saengwon and jinsa graduates of Sungkyunkwan, the Gyeongsucheop, a compilation of letters written in Gwon Ju's own hand, and the Seonsesuchal. Their size varies according to date and content. Among these, the old documents, written in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, serve as historical material for the study of economic history, while the books offer material for examining the social conditions of the time. In particular, the books written in Gwon Ju's own hand are valued as cultural heritage for the excellence of their calligraphy.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Andong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물