Hwasun Yi Gyeong-hyu House

Hwasun Yi Gyeong-hyu House stands at the centre of Hajukcheong village, Jukcheong-ri 1-gu, Dogok-myeon, Hwasun. It is a ㄷ-shaped house built in the late Joseon period, around 1775. Jukcheong-ri, Dogok-myeon, Hwasun, has long been known as an auspicious site in the shape of 'a flying phoenix embracing its egg' (飛鋳包卵), and as the Jiseokgang River flows in front of the village, the site clearly follows the classic siting principle of a mountain behind and water in front (baesan imsu). The house is said to have originally belonged to a man named Heo Jang-ja (nicknamed 'the rich man') and a member of the Yang clan, who lived in Angorang (now Jukcheong-ri 2-gu); the Gwangsan Yi clan is said to have moved the house to its present site. After the Gwangsan Yi clan had lived there for 100 years, ownership passed to the Jeju Yang clan around 1854, in the generation of Yi U-chae's great-great-grandson, and then, 112 years later, in 1966, it was bought by Yi Gyeong-hyu of the Gwangsan Yi clan, the sixth-generation descendant of Yi Dong-cheol, Yi U-chae's younger son. Hwasun Yi Gyeong-hyu House faces south-east and comprises a main house along with a gate house and two storehouses. The main house measures 17.1 m across the front and 8 m along the side; from south-west to north-east it is arranged as kitchen, main room, wooden-floored hall and small room in that order, with one room in each of the projecting wings on either side. The kitchen, main room and hall are each two bays, making them relatively large. The old house's main building is ㄷ-shaped, seven bays across the front and three bays deep, with a hip-and-gable (paljak) roof, while the projecting wings have gable (matbae) roofs. At the centre is the main room, with one bay of sarangchae on either side, and to the right a spacious hall and other large rooms including the dojeong. The rooms have coffered (umul) ceilings, and the wooden floors, too, retain their original form well. The old house is in good condition overall, though part of a column on the west side has been burned, and the kitchen and some doors have been altered for convenience over time. Hwasun Yi Gyeong-hyu House is a valuable example for examining the house structure of a wealthy farming family of this region in the late Joseon period (18th century). Its ㄷ-shaped layout is particularly notable. The timber framing is sound and the joinery skilful. It is well preserved and retains its original form, and documentary evidence survives to confirm the date of its construction, adding further to its value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hwasun, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산