Siksanimanbu Books and Documents

The Siksan Yi Man-bu Jeonjeok is a collected anthology of poetry and prose by the late-Joseon scholar Yi Man-bu, pen name Siksan. In 1798, the 22nd year of King Jeongjo, his descendants and public-spirited scholars of the local community each contributed funds and began compiling the collection; fifteen years later, in 1813, the 13th year of King Sunjo, it was revised by Jeong Jong-ro (1738–1816, sixth-generation descendant of Jeong Gyeong-se, pen name Ubok) and others before being published. The books and documents designated as a heritage item comprise thirteen titles in thirty-eight volumes in total. The copy currently held at the Kyujanggak Institute consists of nineteen volumes, with one volume of the supplementary collection missing; volumes 9–10 of the supplementary collection were later supplied in manuscript form. There is no preface, but a colophon by Yi Man-bu's great-grandson Yi Gyeong-yu is appended at the end of the supplementary collection. The books and documents that had been kept in Mungyeong have been temporarily entrusted to the Academy of Korean Studies by his descendants Yi Yong-deok and his uncle. Yi Man-bu was the great-grandson of Yi Sim (pen name Gaeun), who is enshrined at Soyang Seowon, and the son of Yi Ok, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Rites. His courtesy name was Jungseo, his pen name was Siksan, and his clan seat was Yeonan. He belonged to the Namin (Southerner) school of scholarship, inheriting the learning of the mid-Joseon scholar Heo Mok, exchanging views with figures such as Jeong Si-han, and encouraging younger scholars such as Yi Ik. Although he grew up in Seoul, in 1697, the 23rd year of King Sukjong, he retired to the foot of Mount Siksan in Sangju, where he spent the rest of his life as a scholar outside official service, devoted to writing. He also occupied a distinctive place within the Yeongnam school of scholarship and contributed to its academic development. In particular, he left behind the Jihaengnok, considered the finest example of Korean travel writing and the foremost account of a journey across the land, running from Namhae all the way to Manchuria; he also coined the term for Korea's earliest vernacular (eonmun) novels, and advocated silsim-silhak, a practical learning grounded in a sincere mind.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산