Jaenmal House, Eumseong

It is said that the house was built about 300 years ago by Yi Ik, but the main house (anchae) appears to have been built in the mid-19th century, and an inscription on the ridge beam shows that the men's quarters (sarangchae) was built in 1901. In the open outer yard stands a single-row ('一'-shaped) sarangchae, and behind it, marked off by a wall, is a T-shaped anchae. The unusual plan of the anchae divides the inner courtyard on the left from a rear yard on the right. Entry to the house is through the gate to the left of the sarangchae, and then into the inner courtyard through a small side gate (ilgakmun) set in the wall. The rear yard can be reached only by the household's own members, through the kitchen. In the sarangchae, from the left, are arranged the gate bay, the sarang kitchen, a lower room, an upper room, the wooden-floored hall (daecheong) and a side room (geonneonbang); all these spaces, except for the small kitchen room in front of the kitchen, are linked by a narrow veranda (toenmaru) along the front. The building stands on a high, two-tiered stone platform, a feature often seen in the houses of high-ranking sadaebu (scholar-official) families or in houses built somewhat later. Set behind the sarangchae, separated from it by a wall, the anchae is an unusual type with a well-developed rear section. Passing through the ilgakmun, the geonneonbang and daecheong come into view directly ahead, with a rear room to the right of the daecheong. This rear room forms the true centre of the house, linked on its right to the daecheong, the upper room and the lower room by a toenmaru along the front. The main bedroom (anbang) and the kitchen lie in a long central section connecting to the rear room. The rear yard, reached through a door to the right of the kitchen, holds a jangdokdae (a raised platform for earthenware storage jars) and other kitchen-related fittings. With its well-developed inner quarters — the space belonging to the mistress of the house — this is a form only occasionally seen in the sadaebu houses of Gyeonggi province. There are no notable garden features, but the composition of the spaces is impressive and handsome. In particular, the sequence of moving through the ilgakmun (the inner gate) to the inner courtyard, then through the kitchen to the rear yard, is a distinctive feature of this house. Note: this heritage site is generally open to the public, but access may be restricted due to the personal circumstances of the owner or others.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Eumseong, Chungbuk

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산