Geumseonggwan Hall, Naju

Geumseonggwan Hall in Naju is a Joseon-period guest house building where jeonpae and gwolpae tablets, symbols of royal authority, were enshrined and where officials performed mangwollye, a ceremony of bowing toward the royal palace. The date of its original construction is not precisely known, but records and its structural style suggest that the overall scale and framework of the building have been kept as they were after a renovation in 1617, while the timber framing and the detailed form of its bracket sets show the techniques of renovations carried out in 1775 and 1885. Geumseonggwan is notable for its bracket-set composition, which is of the ikgong type but incorporates elements of the jusimpo style, in which brackets are placed only above the columns; its bracket form, with one projecting arm and three ikgong members, can be read as a variant technique devised to convey sufficient hierarchical status with limited resources. A striking feature unique to Geumseonggwan is that its raised platform, plan, elevation and ceiling are composed to resemble the main hall of a royal palace rather than a typical guest house. The main hall of Geumseonggwan is not only the largest of any Joseon-period guest-house building, but is also rare in having a hip-and-gable roof, in contrast to the gable roofs usual for such main halls. This, together with the fact that the nearby Daeseongjeon Hall of Naju Hyanggyo, the local Confucian school, likewise has a hip-and-gable roof rather than the gable roof typical of Joseon-period hyanggyo Daeseongjeon halls, can be understood as a distinctive regional characteristic.

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Where it is

Region

Naju, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물