Mokposisa Temple

Sisa is a gathering of like-minded scholars who met according to the seasons to sing of nature and compose poems. Mokposisa began with the 'Yusan Sisa (儒山詩社)', formed in 1920. Its founding was led by Kim Seong-gyu, who had served as Superintendent (gamni) of Muan, and was joined by Confucian scholars of Mokpo together with literary figures from Jindo Island and Gangjin. In 1933 the society completed its present building, Yusanjeong (儒山亭), for which Mujeong Jeong Man-jo wrote the "Yusanjeong Sangnyangmun", a text composed for the raising of the roof's ridge beam. In 1961 it merged with another Mokpo literary society, the 'Boin Sisa (輔仁詩社)', and took the name Mokposisa, by which it is still known today. Every year Mokposisa holds a composition contest (baekiljang) for Chinese-style verse (hansi) twice, in spring and autumn, drawing some 200 participants from across the country, making it a long-established society that has kept the tradition of hansi alive to the present day. Jeong Man-jo passed the civil service examination in 1889, the 26th year of Emperor Gojong, and went on to hold posts including Third Counsellor of the Ministry of Rites, Royal Secretary, Counsellor of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Deputy Director of the Kyujanggak, the royal library. During the political upheavals of the Gwangmu era he was exiled to Jindo Island, where he spent over ten years teaching literature and calligraphy and trained many students; but after the forced abdication of Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire in 1907 he was pardoned and returned from exile, and is regarded as a figure who subsequently cooperated with the Japanese Government-General of Korea. The building measures four bays across the front and one and a half bays along the side, with a hip-and-gable roof (paljakjibung) that forms the shape of the character '八' (eight) when seen from the side. The society holds a large collection of documents and wooden plaques inscribed with hansi poems from the late Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Mokpo, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물