Daeseongjeon Hall of Heunghaehyanggyo Local Confucian School, Pohang

A hyanggyo is a local educational institution established by the state to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages, and to educate and morally instruct the local populace. Heunghaehyanggyo is said to have been built in 1398, the seventh year of King Taejo of Joseon, but as no records of its history survive, this cannot be confirmed with certainty. During the Korean War everything but the Daeseongjeon Hall and the Dongmu, the eastern shrine building, burned down, and the school was repaired and restored on several occasions afterwards. The buildings that survive today are the Daeseongjeon Hall, the memorial-rite space, together with the Dongmu and Seomu, the eastern and western shrine buildings, and the Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall used for education. The Daeseongjeon Hall had its roof tiles replaced in 1970 and was restored through repair of its dancheong, the traditional decorative paintwork, in 1971. It measures three kan across the front and three kan along the side, with a gable roof that forms the shape of the character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. The bracket sets that support and decorate the eaves are carved in the ikgong style, in the shape of a bird's wings. The ends of the members projecting outward are sharply pointed and topped with cloud-shaped ornamentation, producing a delicate and splendid effect. Between the columns, hwaban, decorative flower-shaped supports lavishly ornamented with scrolling foliage and lotus designs, are installed to bear the weight from above. Inside are enshrined the spirit tablets of Confucius, his disciples, and Korean sages. During the Joseon period the school received land, servants, and books from the state to teach its students, but today its educational function has ceased and only the memorial-rite function remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pohang, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산