O Gwang-jun House

The thatched house (choga), the common form of traditional dwelling on Jeju Island, is a structure that reflects Jeju's natural environment, family structure and way of life. A distinctive feature of this house is that the outer walls are built up with Jeju basalt, and the roof is covered with thatch bound down with thick rope about 50cm in diameter, lashed in a checkerboard pattern. Because the thatch covering is renewed every two years, the ridge line becomes gentle, forming a smooth, streamlined shape. This basic structure is a wise building technique suited to withstanding the strong winds of Jeju. Thatched houses are classified by size into two-bay, three-bay and four-bay houses, and, depending on the number of buildings arranged within the stone wall enclosing the house, are also called oegeori-jip (one-building house), dugeori-jip (two-building house), negeori-jip (four-building house), and so on. Attached facilities also include a byre (soemak), a privy (tongsi), a sauce-jar stand (janghanggup) and a straw stack (nulwat). In houses of two buildings or more, each building has its own separate kitchen, so that father and son households cook separately and each manages its own production, consumption and household economy independently — a feature markedly different from houses on the mainland.

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Where it is

Region

Jeju City, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산