Here are a couple of shots I took today at Dongnak Seowon (Confucian Academy) in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Dongnak Seowon was founded in 1655 by the students of renowned Confucian scholar Jang Hyeon-gwang. Like most of Korea’s other seowon, however, the academy was closed and pulled down in 1871 on orders from Heungseon Daewongun. The academy’s shrine was rebuilt in 1932, and the other structures rebuilt in 1971.
Dongnak Seowon is most certainly not one of Korea’s largest Confucian academies, but it is quiet and overlooks the Nakdong River… or at least a bridge crossing the Nakdong River.
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Should have moved the smaller extinguishers into a mating position. Two little old Koreans have one big baby.
Used to pass by this place all the time on my way to work.
Can we expect any more photos from “Great Gumi, Brilliant Gumi”?
Sowon ==> Seowon
these are great. thanks.
Sends chills down my spine to see an academy devoted to Confucian principles.
Spelling corrected. Thanks.
Dosan Seowon (Tosan Sowon) near Andong is another good cultural heritage site to check out (if you haven’t already).
Here is the wikipedia page:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosan_Seowon
It is located away from the city at the foot of a man-made lake and the foot of a mountain by the same name. The buildings of the compound are themselves on a gentle slope which is not uncommon for hyanggyo and sowon.
Just down the road from the entrance of the sowon compound, right off the road to the left (if you are heading back to the city) is an example of a hyanggyo whose name I forget. It was unusual compared to others I visited in that the school buildings were side-by-side with the Confucian shrine area. Usually, the shrine is behind the school area and higher up.
I didn’t have the time to travel on up the mountain to see what attractions were there, and I didn’t take a look around the lake. I was only there for an afternoon specifically to see the sowon, but it might be worth a day trip. There are other things to see in Andong too…
Now that I have some time on my hands, I might upload some images and video of the sowon and hyanggyos I visited….
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[...] Artful Thoughts wrote an interesting post today on Dongnak Confucian AcademyHere’s a quick excerpt Here are a couple of shots I took today at Dongnak Sowon (Confucian Academy) in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Dongnak Sowon was founded in 1655 by the students of renowned Confucian scholar Jang Hyeon-gwang. Like most of Korea’s other sowon, however, the academy was closed and pulled down in 1871 on orders from Heungseon Daewongun. The academy’s shrine was rebuilt in 1932, and the other structures rebuilt in 1971. ShareThis [...]