Dodong Seowon is one of the greatest Seowons in Yeongnam, having been reconstructed under the leadership of Hangang Jeong Gu (1543∼1620) after the Ssanggye Seowon, built by Hyeon Pung in the 16th century, was damaged in war. Dodong Seowon held a rel...
Dodong Seowon is one of the greatest Seowons in Yeongnam, having been reconstructed under the leadership of Hangang Jeong Gu (1543∼1620) after the Ssanggye Seowon, built by Hyeon Pung in the 16th century, was damaged in war. Dodong Seowon held a religious service for Kim Going-pil (1454~1504) and Jeong Gu, serving to contain the academic identity established by them. In Joseon, Seowons played a huge role in the improvement of intellectual abilities in society. Their major roles were to publish books and to collect and preserve published books, which became a foundation for them to serve their original purpose of education. This explains why they collected and kept as many books as possible within their monetary budgets and even published books themselves. For Seowons, publication meant arranging their knowledge in an orderly manner and checking the identity of their knowledge. The books housed by Seowons contain the knowledge they were oriented towards with the flow of books showing the spreading direction of knowledge. In this sense, Jeong Gu intended to publish Gyeonghyeonrok, which is a collection of his master Kim Going-pil's work in addition to the reconstruction of the Seowon. Its publication was to define and systemize the nature of knowledge to which the Dodong Seowon was oriented. Since then, the Seowon functioned as a place containing the academic identity clarified by Jeong Gu. In the process, the Seowon collected and kept books published by various institutions and encouraged its members to make an inquiry into group study, contributing to the expansion of the community's intellectual capabilities.