무성서원지의 체제와 특징 - 1884년본을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Museong Seowon maintains traditions handed down by Choi Chiwon, who was a viceroy of the Taesan region during the Shilla Dynasty era. Museong Seowon served as a provincial lecture hall in Jeollanamdo Province despite an order of demolition issued by Regent Heungseon Daewongun, and was a center for the Byeongochangeui (丙午倡義), an uprising by Taein Confucian scholars led by Choi Ikhyeon. Museong Seowon has continued to play significant roles in Korean history, and was designated a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 2019 as one of Korea’s notable seowon. Despite its symbolic significance, of the nine seowon designated as UNESCO cultural heritage sites, Museong Seowon has the fewest historical records. Notwithstanding, Museongseowonwonji is one of the earliest seowonji publications, as it was published in 1884. The book contains records, including material on Taesan Seowon, which was built in 1615, and articles written when the name of the seowon was given by the king. Hence, Museongseowonwonji has immense historical value. Initially, Museong Seowon did not have a seowon publication, and the need probably arose after the arduous restoration of Bokho (復戶) and Bono (保奴) after the seowon closed down in 1868. The 1884 edition of Museongseowonwonji comprises two volumes. The first volume has nine themes and 31 subthemes, and the second volume has eight themes and 29 subthemes. Some notable characteristics of the Museong Seowon publication include: (i) an emphasis on the relation between Museong Seowon and Choi Chiwon; (ii) a course on the restoring of Bokho and Bono, which had been abolished since the 1868 closing of Museong Seowon; (iii) gapeulgisa that documented the history of Museong Seowon, (iv) the ritual of lectures at Museong Seowon; and (v) notes on books by Ahn Jaeho, who donated a large volume of books to the seowon in 1872. Museongseowonwonji is a repository of valuable historical records that bridge historical gaps regarding Museong Seowon, and its utility is multifaceted.