Documents of the Yangwol Branch of the Gyeongju Yi Clan

In the case of the Yangwol branch of the Gyeongju Yi clan, alongside a wealth of material on ancestors and the family itself, it is notable that the collection also holds many documents that can hardly be regarded as belonging to the family alone — records of the Gyeongju hyangan (the roster of local gentry) and other material related to the yuhyangso (the local gentry council), as well as numerous documents from Gugang Seowon academy. Among the old documents, the items proposed for designation are two josacheop held by the Yangwol branch, twenty-three documents of the gyoji, gyocheop and chacheop types (royal edicts, appointment certificates and delegation orders), and one soji (petition). The josacheop (朝謝帖) records that a candidate had passed the seogyeong screening carried out by the Saheonbu (Office of the Inspector General) on behalf of the Ministry of Personnel; it is valuable because it preserves a Goryeo-period format that survived before the gosinsik, the standard form of appointment certificate, was fixed. The josacheop appears to mark the final stage of clearing the Saheonbu's screening, and receiving one meant that an official had been formally appointed to his post — in other words, it is a record of personnel administration. Yi Jeom received two josacheop: the one from 1423 is written 朝謝帖, and the one from 1444 is written 朝謝牒. As documents predating the compilation of the Gyeongguk daejeon, the Joseon legal code, they have historical value for showing how document formats changed over time. The gyoji, gyocheop and chacheop documents — one for Yi Hyeong-rim, two for Yi Su-gwang, five for Yi Hong, twelve for Yi Gyeong-han, one for Lady O, wife of Yi Gyeong-han, and two for Yi Sang-il — reveal the official careers of the Yangwol branch's ancestors and are valuable for research into personnel administration and institutional history. The soji is a petition concerning a dispute over the merger of counties subordinate to Gyeongju-bu, and has documentary value for examining local administration through the establishment of the county-prefecture system of the time. The seventeenth-century Gyeongju hyangan (seventeen volumes in total) held by the Yangwol branch of the Gyeongju Yi clan stand out, compared with material from other regions, for their concentration in the seventeenth century and their rarity. The seventeen volumes proposed for designation span 1592 to 1692; the seventeenth century is important as a period that condenses the whole history of change in Korea's hyangan, and there are almost no other examples preserved as completely as the Gyeongju hyangan. The Gyeongju hyangan is also comprehensive in scope, encompassing originals and transcribed copies, records of newly nominated members (sincheonan), the accompanying ibui and wanui (bylaws and resolutions), various documents on the running of local society connected with the yuhyangso, and even hyangyak (community compacts). This makes the material highly valuable for confirming the order and system by which local society was governed in the Joseon period. As documents relating to the running of local communities, the Gyeongju hyangan is also significant as material representing the regional character and order of the area.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물