E2024-G116

Wolbongseowon Confucian Academy: Repository of the Four-Seven Debate

Narrative

Confucian academies, called seowon in Korean, are private education institutions of the Joseon period (1392-1910) which usually combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a lecture hall.

Wolbongseowon Confucian Academy was founded in 1578 by Kim Gye-hwi and other local Confucian scholars to commemorate Gi Dae-seung (1527-1572) (pen name: Gobong), a scholar and civil official of the Joseon period (1392-1910), who is best known for the Four-Seven Debate with his teacher, the prominent scholar Yi Hwang (1501-1570). Originally located in Sanwol-ri, the academy was moved to its current location in 1646. It closed in 1868 upon a nationwide decree to shut down all Confucian shrines and academies. The current academy was rebuilt in 1941, with the current building being completed in 1991. The complex is designated as a Gwangju Monument.

The academy consists of a lecture hall named Bingwoldang, a shrine named Sungdeoksa, and a repository. The shrine holds the spirit tablets of Gi Dae-seung, as well as the scholars Bak Sun (1523-1589), Kim Jip, Bak Sang (1474-1530), and Kim Jang-saeng (1548-1631). A veneration ritual is held at the shrine each spring and autumn. Kept in the repository are printing woodblocks made in the 17th century to print the Gobong munjip (Collected Works of Gi Dae-seung). The printing woodblocks for the Gobong munjip (Collected Works of Gi Dae-seung) consists of 15 volumes printed on 474 woodblocks made of birch (Betula schmidtii Regel) that were engraved on both sides.

The letters exchanged between Gi Dae-seung and Yi Hwang are well known. In particular, the correspondences that took place between 1559 and 1566, in which they discussed the nature and relationship between the Four Beginnings (四端) and the Seven Emotions (七情) as they relate to principle (理) and material force (氣), left a lasting mark on Korean neo-Confucianism by sparking a debate among Korean thinkers that continued for centuries. The collection includes works written by Gi Dae-seung (5 volumes), an appendix to his works with pieces written by his colleagues (1 volume), a record of his lectures at the royal court that was compiled upon the order of King Seonjo (r. 1567-1608) (1 volume), his correspondences with Yi Hwang (3 volumes), the Four-Seven debate section of the correspondences (1 volume), and Gi Dae-seung’s compilation of the essential parts of the works of the Chinese scholar Zhu Xi (1300-1200) (4 volumes). This collection is designated as a Gwangju Tangible Heritage.

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