Ulsanhyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo was an official local educational institution of the Joseon dynasty, its curriculum comprising sajanghak, the study of literary composition, and gyeonghak, the study of Confucian classics. Hyanggyo buildings are divided into a shrine section and a school section. The shrine section houses the main hall, which enshrines Confucius together with China's Four Sages and Two Worthies and Korea's Eighteen Sages, and the Dongmu and Seomu, the attendant east and west shrine halls. The school section consists of Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall where students were taught, and the Dongjae and Seojae, the dormitories on the east and west. The exact date of the founding of Ulsanhyanggyo and its early history cannot be determined, as records were lost during the Japanese invasions of 1592–98, but it is presumed to have been founded around the 15th century, when the system of one hyanggyo per county was completed nationwide. At its founding it stood at what is now the old school village north of Sinhakseong, in present-day Bangu-dong; after burning down during the Japanese invasions it was rebuilt on the same site, then relocated to its present location in 1652, the third year of King Hyojong. At that time only the core facilities of the hyanggyo — the main shrine hall, the Dongmu and Seomu, and the Dongjae and Seojae — were built. In 1711, the 37th year of King Sukjong, a five-kan gate pavilion was added and named Jaksinnu; this was renamed Cheongwollu in 1796, the 20th year of King Jeongjo, the name by which it has been known ever since. Although the school has undergone 26 repairs since 1800, its basic layout has remained unchanged. The main buildings are arranged along intersecting north–south and east–west axes at right angles, embodying the typical characteristics of hyanggyo architecture, and each building displays traditional construction styles clearly. The main shrine hall has three kan on both its front and side, with a single eave, ikgong-style brackets and a matbae, or plain gable, roof. Myeongnyundang has five kan across the front and two kan on the side, with a single eave, ikgong-style brackets and a hipped-and-gabled roof, while the main gate, Cheongwollu, has five kan across the front and two kan on the side, with a double eave, ikgong-style brackets and a hipped-and-gabled roof.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jung-gu, Ulsan

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산