The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Gyureun Kim Lyu(1814~1884) was a thinker that led the Confucian conservative swing of Geomun Island in the 19th century. Inheriting the Philosophy of Nosa, he was the one that revived the Confucian cult...
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Gyureun Kim Lyu(1814~1884) was a thinker that led the Confucian conservative swing of Geomun Island in the 19th century. Inheriting the Philosophy of Nosa, he was the one that revived the Confucian culture on Island Geomun, which attracted attention as a geopolitical strategic point from global powers in the 19th century. His Confucian orientation was further intensified by his realistic frustration with rising in the world and gaining fame and his witness of the invasion of Joseon's waters by imperialist powers. He diagnosed that his era was an "era of declined dao" and believed that the practice of Zhu Xi's rites and the cultivation of mind in withdrawal in the viewpoint of expelling the West and wickedness would contribute to the preservation of Jeonghak and Jeongdo and eventually the defeat of Sahak and heresy. This orientation of Kim Lyu was a decisive chance for him to inherit the study of Nosa Ki Jung-jin(1798~1879), who was a renowned Confucian scholar of Honam that insisted on Gangsangron and Wijeongcheoksa of Naesuoiyang.
Kim Lyu's ideological achievements can be summarized into ① the spread of Philosophy of Nosa and ② the revival of Confucian culture in the island area. He spread the Philosophy of Nosa by bringing up 131 pupils and over 142 Jaejeon pupils through his pursuit of study for approximately 40 years. He also achieved a "cultural expansion from inland[center] to island[margin]" by taking the lead in the Confucian literary spirit across the island area including Geomun Island. In this aspect, he can be called a "leader of Confucian culture in an island area." He contributed to the spread of the Philosophy of Nosa by inheriting Ki Jung-jin's Wijeongcheoksa and practicing "Dohak of Naesu" on Geomun Island where British, Russian, and American warships made frequent appearances in the 19th century, thus being regarded as the thinker that led the Confucian conservative swing. His Confucian conservative swing implies the refusal of the inevitable adjustment of the old authenticity and the fundamental block of meaningful contacts with foreign power out of his wish for a return to the "divine authenticity of the past."