This study aims to clarify architectural character which appeared at palaces and royal tombs while the royal funeral & ancestral rites were being executing during the reign of King SukJong. For the purpose, this study is conducted through understandin...
This study aims to clarify architectural character which appeared at palaces and royal tombs while the royal funeral & ancestral rites were being executing during the reign of King SukJong. For the purpose, this study is conducted through understanding executing space in compliance with the procedure of the royal funeral & ancestral rites and scrutinizing process of changes occurred in the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites during the reign of king SukJong.
The royal funeral & ancestral rites in the JoSeon dynasty were enormous formalities executing in a palace and a royal tomb for 3 years. Following BinJeon's rites for 5 months in a palace, a coffin was borne out of the BinJeon and leaved for a royal tomb with a huge state funeral cortege. Then ancestral ritual formalities were carried out for 22 months at a JeongJaGak in the royal tomb and at a HonJeon in the palace. The royal funeral & ancestral rites were the longest ceremony in JoSeon and accompanied many architectural construction. As the rites were a partial process of the succession to the throne, those were continued repetitively in the JoSeon era.
As the JoSeon kept Confucianism as their national ideology, the royal funeral & ancestral rites were changed in accordance with confucian procedures. Except Buddhism rituals, the royal funeral & ancestral rites were begun to organize according to the confucian procedures during the reign of King SeJong(世宗: The 4th monarch of the JoSeon Dynasty). On the basis of these, the rites were codified as 「Hyung-Re(凶禮: The funeral formalities)」 of 『GukJo-OReYi(國朝五禮儀: The five category's formalities in the JoSeon Dynasty)』at the 5th year of King SeongJong's reign(成宗: The 9th monarch of the JoSeon Dynasty), and these official ritual documents became a standard of executing the royal funeral & ancestral rites until the 17th century. Then, however, scholars studying Neo-Confucianism begun to equip with the procedures for the royal funeral & ancestral rites in compliance with the JoSeon's circumstance. And this demanded changes in the royal funeral & ancestral rites. The royal funeral & ancestral rites were reviewed from the reign of King HoJong(孝宗: The 17th monarch of the JoSeon Dynasty) to HyunJong(顯宗: The 18th monarch of the JoSeon Dynasty), and these debates concerning the royal funeral & ancestral rites reached their peak at the reign of King SukJong(肅宗: The 19th monarch of the JoSeon Dynasty).
During the reign of King SukJong, after numerous debates reached their peak, the awareness regarding the procedures for the royal funeral & ancestral rites was increased. Thus there were unusually many state funerals, at that time. The King SukJong who succeeded to the throne as the eldest suitable son devoted himself to organize facilities of national ancestral ritual formalities for strengthening royal authority. Also, he established rules for the royal funeral & ancestral rites through dealing with several state funerals. Then he expressed absolute symbolism and authority of the King by designating king's funeral rite space particularly with the specific place of his own BinJeon and HonJeon in his will.
During the reign of King SukJong, the visible character appeared in the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites are as follows:
First, the royal funeral & ancestral rites in the palace equipped with the executing rules and carried out in a specific area. At this time, a BinJeon (殯殿: A building enshrining a coffin of a king or queen consort in a palace) was classified by the deceased. The BinJeon of a king was executed at a PyeonJeon(便殿: A building where a king deals with official tasks) being adjacent to a JeongJeon(正殿: A building where a king conducts with ritual ceremonies) and the BinJeon of a queen consort was executed at a building like a ChimJeon type(寢殿: A building that have a OnDol system and where a resident can sleep). It was considered the most appropriate BinJeon of a king as SeonJeongJeon in ChangDeokGung and in case state funeral occurred while a king stayed at KyeongDeokGung, it was executed at JaJeongJeon. And the BinJeon of a queen consort was executed at mostly HwanGyeongJeon in case of ChangDeokGung and YungBokJeon in case of KyeongDeokGung. Without distinguishing the deceased, a HonJeon (魂殿: A building enshrining a spirit tablet) was executed MunJeongJeon in ChangKyeongGung and in case a king moved his staying place to KyeongDeokGung, the HonJeon was moved to GyeSangDang.
Second, in the 17th century, the biggest changes occurred in the royal funeral & ancestral rites space were expansion of area that ladies of a court attended during a royal funeral & ancestral rites. A head lady's GokRimCheong(哭臨廳: A building where ladies of a court mourned for the dead) was respectively constructed with a NaInIpJeopCheo(內人入接處: A building that female servants caring for ladies of a court stayed) at the inner area of sacred gate. Also, ladies' temporary residence was prepared close by the BinJeon and HonJeon as a separate building. This was linked with the flow of enhancing ladies' status in the 17th century, and was settled as a consistent form in the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites in the late of JoSeon dynasty. By securing large space of the GokRimCheong, the HonJeon became the ritual space of the focal JeongJeon and the GokRimCheong area was constructed at the northwest side. Also, the rules of ritual space were strengthened by expressing each area's nature with covering curtains on the gate, wall and HaengGak(行閣: The connected rooms that surround a main building).
Third, construction of the royal tomb was changed into unifying space of the formalities and reducing facilities for a state funeral. The YeongAkJeon(靈幄殿: A temporary building enshrining a coffin of a king or queen consort and then executing formalities in a royal tomb) didn't construct any more and the JeongJaGak(丁字閣: A T-shape building executing the ancestral ritual formalities after a state funeral in a royal tomb) was substituted with the YeongAkJeon's role. And the partial space of JaeSil(齋室: A building preparing the ancestral ritual formalities after 22 months from immediately after the state funeral in a royal tomb) was utilized as the partial space of Ga-JaeSil(假齋室: A temporary building preparing the ancestral ritual formalities for 22 months immediately after the state funeral in a royal tomb). Therefore the scale of constructing Ga-JaeSil could be reduced. Also, the scale of the temporary building being utilized for the state funeral period was reduced, too.
Fourth, while the temporary building was reduced, the scale of the JeongJaGak was expanded as the most important building for the ancestral ritual formalities and its dignity was strengthened too. Also, the scale of the JeongJaGak was constantly maintained. This tendency was showed up continually in the late of JoSeon dynasty.
These variations were changed into compromising between strengthening Confucian rites and operating the space practically. Harmonizing king's will and changes of society, these variations finally looked for a point of compromise. Therefore these changes gradually equipped with constant form and were settled as a standard of the royal funeral & ancestral rites in the late of JoSeon dynasty.
The architectural historic significance of the character appeared in the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites during the reign of king SukJong are as follows:
First, the form of the royal funeral & ancestral rites space in a palace was settled during the reign of King SukJong. Distinguished by the deceased, the BinJeon was set at a different specific place. But the HonJeon was generally set at MunJeongJeon. And during executing the royal funeral & ancestral rites, the main space of focal JeongJeon and ladies' mourning space were prepared. Also, assistance space was prepared at the outside of sacred gate.
Second, the changes occurred construction of the royal tomb at the first year of King SukJong's reign affected construction of the royal tomb in the late of JoSeon dynasty. The changes became a motive to maintain constantly the scale of JeongJaGak. Also, the changes aroused a switch of thought that different character's space could be utilized into sole space.
Third, as the royal funeral & ancestral rites were settled into specific area, the changes appeared on utilizing the palace too. By utilizing the PyeonJeon as the Binjeon or HonJeon, SeonJeongJeon in ChangDeokGung & JaJeongJeon in KyeongDeokGung & MunJeongJeon in ChangKyeongGung were changed as the symbolic PyeonJeon with focal formalities. And MunJeongJeon was settled as the HonJeon by protracting the HonJeon of a queen consort during the reign of King SukJong.
Fourth, the dignity of ChangKyeongGung was changed by enlarging the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites. Settling MunJeongJeon in ChangKyeongGung as the HonJeon, GakSa(各司: The administrative offices) being placed at the outside of MunJeongMun in a palace were moved in the vicinity of other PyeonJeon and their character were changed too. Also, in case that another state funeral occur while MunJeongJeon was already utilized as the HonJeon, substitutive place was chosen as another HonJeon. Besides, as several ChimJeons in ChangKyeongGung containing HwanGyeongJeon were utilized for the royal funeral & ancestral rites, the dignity of ChangKyeongGung was enhanced more and more.
On this wise, the character appeared in the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites during the reign of king SukJong affected considerably the space for the royal funeral & ancestral rites after king SukJong. These character were considered as noticeable outcomes in the architectural history of JoSeon dynasty because those were changed remarkably from the flow of preceding architecture for the royal funeral & ancestral rites.
This study is distinguished from other existing studies by grasping role and character of space, linking the architecture and the procedures in the royal funeral & ancestral rites.
Also, this study has significance that clarifies the starting point of changes in the royal funeral & ancestral rites space.
During the reign of King SukJong, there were many changes in other architecture fields. When the architectural history of JoSeon dynasty was classified into early era and late era, this study can be the basis of the opinion that the period of King SukJong's reign is the starting point of late JoSeon Architecture era.