효제문자도(孝悌文字圖)와 유가 도덕의 통속화

Abstract

The folding screen made of characters representing the eight virtues —孝 Filial piety, 悌 Brotherly respect, 忠 Loyalty, 信 Trustworthiness, 禮 Propriety, 義 Righteousness, 廉 Integrity, and 恥 Shame—appeared during the mid-Joseon period. In the 16th century, Confucian scholars produced woodblock prints or personal calligraphy copies inscribed with the eight characters of Zhu Xi, using them for self-cultivation, child education, and ritual purposes. This tradition continued into the first half of the 20th century. Meanwhile, in the 18th century, the "Hyoje-munjado" (Filial Piety and Brotherly Respect Illustrated Characters) was formed and remained popular until the mid-20th century. Derived from woodblock printing, the 'insert-type,' which involved engraving illustrations into the space within the characters, began in the royal court and spread to the private sector. The 'transformation-type,' which altered part of the character strokes into pictures, originated as a trend in 18th-century Hanseong (Seoul) and spread to local schools in the provinces. The "Hyoje-munjado" clearly shifted its function for educational and decorative purposes, reflecting the "popularization" ("in common use”) of Confucian morality. The characteristics of this popularization can be summarized in three layers as follows: The first aspect is the attitude of Confucian scholars in the late Joseon period, which provided the logic that practicing "filial piety, brotherly respect, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame" could lead to prosperity and a good life. The second aspect is that practical examples of filial piety, brotherly respect, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, selected by the royal court and scholars, were formed into a popular form of knowledge through the "Hyoje -munjado". This popular knowledge can be identified through the relationship between the dialogues of the protagonists in the pansori-style novel and the the illustration-based inscriptions in Hyoje-munjado, as well as the issues of obfuscation( and misreading) and errors in writing the inscriptions in paintings. The desire to participate in this knowledge also solidified the normative nature of these Confucian virtues. The third aspect is the spatial and material elements involved in the creation of Hyoje-munjado folding screens. Considering the effect of the space in which the Hyoje-munjado is unfolded and the economic costs of making such folding screens, it becomes apparent that, behind the superficial function of displaying and strengthening the moral imperatives of Confucian teachings, there is a display effect aimed at satisfying the upper class’s enjoyment of knowledge and morality. Among these aspects, the second and third factors drove voluntary participation in the private sector, but the first underlying aspect operated as the foundation, indicating that the popularization of Hyoje-munjado was a cultural process of "popularization" ("secularly vulgarized") of Confucian ideology involving various social classes.