Ikjaejip Printing Woodblocks

This set of printing woodblocks is engraved with the collected works of Yi Je-hyeon (1287–1367), pen name Ikjae, who served as a senior official under both King Chungseon and King Gongmin of Goryeo. Privately published (sagan-bon), the blocks were carved in 1693, the 19th year of King Sukjong, and number 147 in total. Yi Je-hyeon exchanged ideas with figures such as Zhao Mengfu at Mangwondang, an academy in Yuan China, introducing new learning and thought to Goryeo, and he played an important role in spreading and developing Neo-Confucianism there. Among the works he left are the Guksa (a history of the nation) and the Yeogong paeseol. The Ikjaejip was published on several occasions. The first edition appeared in 1363, the 12th year of King Gongmin; a second edition in 1432, the 14th year of King Sejong; and a third in 1600, the 33rd year of King Seonjo. None of these earlier editions, however, survives today. Its contents comprise the Ikjae nango, the Ikjae seonsaeng munjip, a chronological biography (yeonbo), and the Yeogong paeseol. The work is valued not only for its significance in Korean literature but also as an important source for understanding relations between Goryeo and the Yuan dynasty and the political situation at the end of the Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산