Daeseongjeon Shrine of Jejuhyanggyo Local Confucian School

Jejuhyanggyo Local Confucian School is presumed to have been founded in 1394, the third year of King Taejo, in Gyo-dong on the western bank of the Garakcheon Stream, about one ri east of Gwandeokjeong Pavilion. After five subsequent relocations, it was moved to its present site in 1827, the 27th year of King Sunjo. Jejuhyanggyo originally followed the jeonhakhumyo layout — school in front, shrine behind — suited to the sloping terrain, running in sequence from the Hongsalmun (a red, spike-topped gate marking a sacred precinct) through the Oesammun (outer three-bay gate), Myeongnyundang (the lecture hall), Daeseongjeon (the shrine to Confucius), to Gyeseongsa (the shrine to Confucius's father). However, when Jeju Middle School was built nearby, the precinct was reduced and Myeongnyundang was rebuilt south of Daeseongjeon, producing the present jwamyoubak layout — shrine on the left, school on the right. Daeseongjeon and Gyeseongsa, though, have remained on their original site since their relocation. Daeseongjeon has five bays across the front and four bays along the side. The front eaves-bay is left open, with walls and lattice-doors set at the line of the inner columns, while the other three sides are enclosed by low basalt walls (hwabangbyeok). Both the outer and inner columns have a gentle entasis. A distinctive feature is the addition of supplementary posts beneath the purlin support of the corner and rear brackets, installed to prevent the eaves from sagging — rarely found elsewhere, and even within Jeju seen only at Daejeonghyanggyo and here. The upper part of these supplementary posts at Jejuhyanggyo, moreover, carries patterning and bridge-shaped members not seen on other buildings, a feature that reflects the building's own local character. The timber frame is built on two rows of inner columns with a seven-purlin structure; although the members are somewhat thin relative to their length, they are finished with clean, precise carpentry — the main beam, for instance, is shaped close to a jar form — giving the whole a refined feel. The bracket sets are of the ikgong type with a single projecting tier: because the spacing of that tier is wide, the ikgong brackets extend to considerable length, and on the interior, where the supporting boaji brackets meet them, the lower ikgong is longer than the upper, giving an almost inverted appearance; the shape of the ikgong is also unlike anything found on the mainland, so the bracket sets, too, display characteristics distinctive to Jeju. The roof is hipped-and-gabled, but its pitch is gentle, so the triangular gable panels are small, the upward and inward curves of the eaves are both restrained, and the low overall height gives the building the appearance of hugging the ground; yet its large scale still lends it a stable, dignified presence. These characteristics can be seen as the result of architecture adapted to Jeju's natural conditions of strong winds and frequent rain. As a representative Confucian architectural heritage site of Jeju Island, the Daeseongjeon of Jejuhyanggyo has retained its form with no major alteration on its original site since its construction and relocation. Its history is not inferior to that of other architectural heritage within the Jeju region, and it clearly displays the characteristics of Jeju architecture, making it worthy of designation as a state-designated heritage item (treasure).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jeju City, Jeju

Designation

Treasure · 보물