Sosweawon or Sosaewon is a typical
Korean garden
Korean gardens are a type of garden described as being natural, informal, simple and unforced, seeking to merge with the natural world. They have a history that goes back more than two thousand years, but are little known in the west. The oldest ...
of the middle
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
. It is located in the Nam-myeon,
Damyang County
Damyang County (''Damyang-gun'') is a county in Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Tourism is a major local industry. Notable local products include bamboo goods and strawberries.
Damyang is not to be confused with Danyang, which is located in eastern ...
of the
South Jeolla
South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korea ...
Province,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
.
This garden harmonizes with nature in characteristic traditional Korean style. Clean waters in the valley flow below the wall and fall through the small cataract into the lake. This place can be said to be a cultivating house of scholar spirit in that many Confucian scholars discussed academic subjects and wrote their works here.
History
Soswaewon was originally constructed by Yang San-bo (양산보) from the end of 1520 through the middle of 1530. Yang gave up his government position after his teacher,
Jo Gwang-jo
Jo Gwangjo (, 23 August 1482 – 10 January 1520), also often called by his pen name Jeong-am (), was Korean Neo-Confucian scholar who pursued radical reforms during the reign of Jungjong of Joseon in the early 16th century.
He was framed with ...
(1482 - 1519) was exiled and then killed in
the purge of 1519 called ''Gimyo sahwa'' (기묘사화).
So Yang made this garden to seclude himself from social position. The part of the garden was burnt down during the
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), but the buildings were reconstructed by his descendants, and the present Sosweawon was renovated by Yang Taek-ji, Yang san-bo's descendant in the fifth generation.
An 18th-century map of Sosweawon remains. It is carved on wood in the 31st year of
King Yeongjo
Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk ...
(1755), and shows the original design of the garden.
Structures
*Jewol Pavilion
Jewol Pavilion is a house for the host and means "bright moon after raining".
*Gwangpung Pavilion
Gwangpung Pavilion is a house for guests and means "bright sun and fresh wind after raining".
*Daebong Pavilion
Daebong Pavilion is located at high hill of Sosweawon. It means the luck of phoenix is regarded as the good news.
Gallery
File:Soswaewon.jpg
File:Korea-Damyang-Soswaewon-01.jpg
File:Korea-Damyang-Soswaewon-03.jpg
File:Korea-Damyang-Soswaewon-05.jpg
See also
*
Hwanbyeokdang
*
Korean garden
Korean gardens are a type of garden described as being natural, informal, simple and unforced, seeking to merge with the natural world. They have a history that goes back more than two thousand years, but are little known in the west. The oldest ...
*
Hanok
A ''hanok'' () is a traditional Korean house. ''Hanok'' were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty.
Korean architecture considers the positioning of the house in relation to its surroundings, with thought g ...
*
Seowon
Seowon () were the most common educational institutions of Korea during the mid- to late Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school. In educational terms, the seowon ...
*
Korean architecture
References
* 담양 소쇄원 남해 금산 명승지정, " Shegye daily news 2008.05.04
*
External links
*
Official site*
소쇄원{dead link, date=April 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes at Yesullo
Architecture in Korea
Damyang County
Scenic Sites of South Korea