Kim Jwa-geun Historic House

This house was built as both a residence and a villa by Kim Byeong-gi (1818–1875), son of Kim Jwa-geun — known by his pen name Hayok — who was a central figure in the later years of the Andong Kim clan's dominance over court politics in the late Joseon period. Kim Byeong-gi built it so that he could tend his father's grave. The burial grounds of both Kim Jwa-geun and Kim Byeong-gi lie on the hillside that wraps around behind the house. The grounds are said to have extended from the house as far as the lotus pond in front of it, so the estate was once of considerable size; in its day it reportedly ran to 99 kan (bays), but today only the anchae (women's quarters) and byeoldang (detached annex) survive, and even the burial grounds disappeared in 2006. The narrow wooden veranda (jjokmaru) running around the byeoldang, which once connected to the anchae's corridor, remains intact. The foundation stones and cornerstones of the building are finely dressed, and every element — pillars, main beams and rafters, as well as the floors and every door frame and lattice — is carefully finished without a single careless detail. The presence of the byeoldang as an inner sarangchae, the arrangement of folding doors (bunhapmun) across the front of the daecheong with toenmaru verandas front and back of the rooms and hall, the generous width of the bays, and the fine, solid joinery all give a clear picture of a powerful family's residence in the late Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Icheon, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산