E2024-G115
Yi Seon-je’s Shrine in Perpetuity: Remembering Outstanding Virtue
Narrative
Yi Seon-je’s Shrine in Perpetuity, located in Wonsan-dong Village, holds the spirit tablet of Yi Seon-je (1390-1453) (pen name: Pilmun), a civil official of the Joseon period (1392-1910). In Korean Confucian tradition, the spirit tablet of the deceased is customarily held in a shrine for only four generations. However, a shrine in perpetuity houses a spirit tablet permanently in recognition of the exceptional deeds and virtue of the deceased.
Yi passed the state examination in 1419, served various official posts, and participated in the compilation of the Annals of King Taejong (Taejong sillok) and the History of Goryeo (Goryeosa). Eventually, he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown, where helped to implement the Village Code of Gwangju in order to foster a culture of integrity within his community together with Kim Mun-bal (1359-1418) at Buyongjeong Pavilion. Yi is honored at Suamseowon Confucian Academy, and Pilmun-daero Road in Gwangju is named after Yi.
The shrine is designated as a Gwangju Folk Cultural Heritage for its historical and cultural value. Behind the shrine on the hill to the left is the tomb of Yi Seon-je. At the entrance to Wonsang-dong Village is a 600-year-old old red leaf willow that is said to have been planted by Yi. The Old Red Leaf Willow Festival is held in the tree’s honor each year.
Network Graph
Story Map
- Sacred Foundations: Confucian Legacy and Traditional Governance
- Gwangjueupseong Walled Town: The Administrative Heart of Gwangju
- Gwangjuhyanggyo Local Confucian School: Confucian Veneration and Elite Education
- Commemorative Pavilion of the Jangheung Go Clan: Three Generations of the Three Confucian Virtues
- Commemorative Pavilion of Chunghyo-dong: The Village of Loyalty and Filial Devotion
- Buyongjeong Pavilion and the Gwangju Village Code
- Yi Seon-je’s Shrine in Perpetuity: Remembering Outstanding Virtue
- Wolbongseowon Confucian Academy: Repository of the Four-Seven Debate
