Janggihyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo is a local educational institution established by the state to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages, and to educate and edify the local populace. Janggihyanggyo was first built in 1398, the seventh year of King Taejo of Joseon, but was burnt down during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and rebuilt in 1600, the 33rd year of King Seonjo. It was relocated to Mahyeon-dong in 1785, the ninth year of King Jeongjo, and in 1931 the county magistrate Kim Yeong-su repaired the former government guest house that had stood within the walled town and enshrined the spirit tablets there, giving rise to the school as it has been handed down today. It is said that when the Japanese invasions broke out, Seo Bang-gyeong, Seo Geuk-in, Yi Dae-im and Yi Nul moved the spirit tablets enshrined in the school to the Yongam stone cave, so that the tablets alone escaped harm. When the school was rebuilt, Im Jae-hwa, known by his pen name Deokgye, donated the site of his family's long-held home, contributing greatly to its reconstruction. The buildings that survive today are the Daeseongjeon, the shrine hall where the memorial rites are held; the Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall where instruction took place; and the inner and outer three-bay gates. The Daeseongjeon enshrines Confucius together with his disciples and sages of China and Korea. During the Joseon dynasty the school received land, enslaved labourers and books from the state to teach its students, but today its educational function has ceased and only the memorial rites continue.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pohang, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료