Unjoru House, Gurye

This house dates from the mid-Joseon period and is said to have been built in 1776, the 52nd year of King Yeongjo's reign, by Yu I-ju, who served as magistrate of Samsu. According to the principles of pungsu (geomancy), the site is surrounded by mountains and a pond and has long been regarded as an auspicious location known as geumhwannakji, "a golden ring fallen to earth". The house is a wooden tile-roofed building of 55 kan (bays) in total, comprising a sarangchae (men's quarters), anchae (women's quarters), haengnangchae (servants' quarters) and a sadang (ancestral shrine). The sarangchae is T-shaped and takes the form of a numaru (raised wooden veranda). Sarangchae generally do not have a large kitchen, but here a large kitchen is provided that also serves as a passage to the anchae; it is also unusual in that a numaru set at a right angle to the sarangchae allows the whole household to be observed at a glance. The anchae, to the right of the sarangchae, is much larger in scale and has an open, square (ㅁ-shaped) floor plan; at its centre is the daecheong (main wooden-floored hall), with a large room and a small room on either side. The haengnangchae is straight ('一'-shaped) in plan, with two bays projecting forward in the form of a raised pavilion — one bay is a room and the other an attic. To the west of the pillars beneath the pavilion is a path leading into the anchae; unusually, it is made as a sloped path rather than a flight of steps. The sadang stands to the northeast of the anchae, enclosed by its own separate wall, and has a matbae (gabled) roof whose side profile forms the shape of the character 人 (person). Unjoru shows the typical architectural style of a Joseon-period yangban house and is a rare example in the Honam region. A considerable number of artefacts are also preserved here, including various household items and maps of Cheongju Fortress and Sangdangsanseong Fortress. Note: this heritage site is generally open to visitors, but viewing may be restricted due to the personal circumstances of the owner or for other reasons.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gurye, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산