Juhamnu Pavilion of Changdeokgung Palace

In the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace stand Buyongji Pond, Buyongjeong Pavilion, Yeonghwadang Hall and Juhamnu Pavilion, with Juhamnu positioned to the north. Around Juhamnu a three-tiered flower terrace has been laid out as a garden, and on the first tier stands Eosumun Gate, through which one ascends to Juhamnu. Eosumun, the main gate of Juhamnu, likens the king to water and his officials to fish, embodying the idea of harmonious union between ruler and subject; the king passed through Eosumun itself, while his officials used the small side gate beside it. Juhamnu Pavilion of Changdeokgung Palace is a two-storey building erected in the rear garden of the palace in 1776, the year of King Jeongjo's accession, to house the king's own writings and calligraphy. The platform consists of four courses of long rectangular stones laid in even rows, finished at the top with a coping stone carved with a moulded edge. The building has five bays across the front and four bays in depth over two storeys; its columns run continuously through both storeys, each side is set back by one bay from the outer columns to form an eave-side bay, and the interior is composed of three bays across the front and two bays in depth. The bracket sets are of the type typically used in palace architecture, two-tiered brackets built up from a head block and bracket arms with connecting members, topped by a secondary head block and finished with cloud-shaped ornaments. The eaves are double eaves fitted with sub-rafters, and the roof is a hipped-and-gabled roof. The main ridge and the sloping ridges are finished with plaster mouldings, and the ends of the main ridge bear owl-tail finials, the sloping ridges bear dragon-head finials, and the hip ridges bear figurine ornaments and dragon-head finials, marking this out as a building of high status. Juhamnu was an important space where King Jeongjo developed his policies and reforms, and where a wide range of talented figures, including Jeong Yak-yong, Bak Je-ga, Yu Deuk-gong and Yi Deok-mu, were active during a flourishing of arts and scholarship in the mid-Joseon period; it also served as the repository for King Jeongjo's own writings and calligraphy, royal portraits and seals, and its historical value is high because its original form has been well preserved. The building is also sited on sloping, elevated ground so as to harmonise with its natural surroundings: the ground floor, suited to the storage of royal books, was fitted with eave-side bays and four-panel folding doors and heated with an ondol floor, while the second-floor reading room was arranged to command fine views on every side, all reflecting how the layout of rooms was carefully matched to the building's function. For these reasons, Juhamnu holds great historical and architectural value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물