Seoseokji Garden, Yeongyang

This is the garden of a private Joseon-period house, said to have been created when Jeong Yeong-bang gave up his official post and retired into seclusion in the countryside in 1613, the fifth year of King Gwanghaegun; it consists of a pond and pavilions. Centred on a pond set on the gentle southern slope of Jayangsan Mountain, the pavilions Gyeongjeong and Juiljae are arranged together and enclosed by a wall, with a separate caretaker's quarters placed outside the wall to the north. Gyeongjeong is a large pavilion with a spacious wooden-floored hall and two rooms, while Juiljae is a study, over which hangs a wooden signboard reading "Unseoheon." In front of Juiljae, facing the pond, a stone platform was built out and planted with pine, bamboo, plum and chrysanthemum, and named Saudan, the "Platform of the Four Companions." The pond curves in a 'U' shape around Saudan; at its north-eastern corner a channel draws in water from the hillside, while at the opposite south-western corner a channel lets water flow out. These were called Eupcheonggeo and Tojanggeo, meaning respectively "the channel where clear water rises" and "the channel that spews out dirty water." The pond was named Seoseokji, meaning "pond of auspicious stones," because a number of strangely shaped rock clusters lie within it: on the Eupcheonggeo side the pond bed rises in an uneven mass of bedrock, as though a jagged cliff had emerged, and nineteen rock clusters lie there either submerged or exposed. These stones were already in place from the start, and depending on their shape they have been given names such as Seonyuseok ("the rock where immortals play"), Sangunseok ("the rock shaped like a cloud peak"), Eosangseok ("the rock shaped like a fish") and Nakseongseok ("the rock where a star fell"). Rather than composing the garden by artificially working and arranging natural materials, its makers made the fullest use of the setting as it was, creating a whole miniature universe and giving a name and meaning to every single stone—a glimpse of our ancestors' ideal view of nature. For this reason it can be called the finest example of a private house garden of the Joseon period. This heritage site is generally open to visitors, but viewing may be restricted due to the personal circumstances of the owner or other private reasons.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeongyang, Gyeongbuk

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산