Draft Royal Documentary Records: Uigwe

Title	Royal Documentary Records: Uigwe
Actor	Joseon
Concept	Confucianism, documentary paintings

The Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty, also referred to as Uigwe, is a 3,859 volume collection of illustrations and commentary text which depict royal rituals and ceremonies throughout the Joseon dynasty. Events documented include funerals, ancestral rites, weddings, investitures, coronations, royal banquets, and paintings of royal portraits. The Protocols served both as a commemorative record of the event as well as a reference for similar events in the future. Because the illustrations depict clothing, architecture, and more in detail, they are a priceless visual resource in understanding Joseon royal culture. The commentary text also gives insight into the role of ritual and ceremony in Joseon.

As a Confucian state, Joseon placed great importance on the role of ritual in the realm of state management. Therefore, whenever there was an upcoming ceremony or ritual, a temporary office would be established to oversee the event and ensure the proceedings went according to propriety. Part of the preparations involved the composition of a detailed, color illustration of the participants, their attire, and in what location they should stand. Architecture, accoutrements for the event like flags, vehicles, and instruments, and more were also depicted in the illustrations. The commentary text explained the illustration and the protocols for the event in greater detail.

In the illustrations, the king and queen’s seat was left vacant, as it was considered inappropriate to depict the royal family’s likeness in the protocols.

In 1866, 297 volumes of the Royal Protocols were seized by French troops and even more were seized by the Japanese during the colonial period. The Japanese-held volumes were returned to Korea in 2011, while the French only agreed to lend their volumes on a renewable basis. The most volumes of the Royal Protocols are stored at Gyujanggak and Jangseokgak Archives. The Royal Protocols registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World in 2007.