Geonjae House in Oeam Village, Asan

An old house facing north-west in the centre of Oeam Village at the foot of Seolhwasan Mountain, also known as Yeongam House. It is said that the house where Yi Gan (1677–1727), a civil official of the reign of King Sukjong of Joseon, was born was rebuilt in its present form in 1869, the sixth year of Emperor Gojong, by Geonjae Yi Sang-ik (1848–1897), the great-grandfather of the present owner. The house is centred on the gate quarters, the men's quarters (sarang-chae) and the women's quarters (an-chae), with a woodshed to the right of the an-chae, a storehouse to its left, and a family shrine behind it to the right. The an-chae and sarang-chae are each L-shaped and face each other to form an open square layout. In front of the sarang-chae is a broad courtyard laid out as a garden with a pond and a pavilion. In traditional Korean gardens, the courtyard in front of the sarang-chae was usually left empty or planted with trees in flower beds, but this house instead created a garden centred on a natural landscape. Pine, ginkgo, persimmon and other trees were planted naturally throughout the courtyard, and a turtle-shaped island, a technique borrowed from Japanese gardens, was made, so that the garden combines native and foreign landscaping to form an eclectic late-Joseon garden. It also has the unusual feature that auspicious water flowing down the valley of Seolhwasan Mountain is channelled through the courtyard into the pond. It is said that a separate detached quarters originally stood on the site of the pond. The two pavilions in the garden appear to have originally had thatched roofs that were later converted to tiled roofs. A stone wall surrounds the house, and outside the wall stands a thatched servants' house. The house preserves some 300 items handed down through the generations, including ceramics, seals, paintings and calligraphy, wooden plaques, and everyday utensils. In particular, a royal appointment document for Yi Gan kept in the sarang-chae serves as evidence identifying the family's founding ancestor who first settled in the area. As a typical example of a late-Joseon scholar-official's house, its layout, scale and construction techniques make it a residence representative of Oeam Folk Village. Note: Viewing of this heritage site is restricted, so visitors should check in advance whether a visit is possible.

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Where it is

Region

Asan, Chungnam

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산