Jogwangik Hyoja Memorial Gate Pavilion, Miryang

This memorial gate is the "Hyoja Jobongdaebu Hyeongjo Jeongnang gyeom Chunchugwan Gijugwan Jo Gwang-ik ryeo" (Memorial Gate of the Filial Son Jo Gwang-ik, Jobongdaebu and Jeongnang of the Ministry of Punishments, concurrently Gijugwan of the Chunchugwan), erected by royal command to honour the filial conduct of Jo Gwang-ik (1537–1518). It was originally erected in 1592 in Jigae-dong, Changwon, his birthplace, but was lost to fire during the Japanese invasion of 1592 (the Imjin War) and relocated to this site in 1634. He became a disciple of Toegye (Yi Hwang) early in life and devoted himself to the study of the Confucian classics. He passed the Sama preliminary examination and took first place in the Jungsi special examination, rising to the post of Jeongnang (director) in the Ministry of Punishments. When his father died he observed the mourning rites without fail, and he served his mother with such utmost filial devotion that the scholars of not only his home village but also Miryang, Changwon and Yeongcheon were moved, and the patrol commissioner reported his filial conduct to the throne. When his mother died, his grief during the years he spent living in a hut by her grave was so extreme that he nearly died; scholars such as Hangang, Yulgok and Gobong wrote to counsel him. When he was 38, the scholars of the province again petitioned on account of his filial conduct, and the patrol commissioner reported this to the king. After completing the mourning period, as his younger brother Ho-ik was living in exile in Gangdong, he requested appointment as dosa (assistant magistrate) of Pyeongan Province so that the two brothers could be reunited, holding hands and unburdening their hearts; but he died at his post, at the age of 42. On hearing of his death, King Seonjo issued a royal edict: "Jo Gwang-ik's filial piety is truly extraordinary. He served his parents with utmost sincerity, and in mourning them he fulfilled every rite, so that his home village was moved to admiration. Record this in the Samgang Haengsildo [Illustrated Guide to the Three Bonds] and honour him with a memorial gate."

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Miryang, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료