Janggi Hyanggyo

About this place

Janggi Hyanggyo was first built in 1398 (the 7th year of King Taejo of Joseon), but when it burned down during the Imjin War, it was rebuilt in 1600 (the 33rd year of King Seonjo). In 1785 (the 9th year of King Jeongjo) it was moved and rebuilt in Mahyeon-dong, and in 1931 the magistrate Kim Yeong-su repaired the old guest hall (gugaekgwan) that had stood within the town fortress and enshrined the tablets there, and it has been handed down as the present hyanggyo. It is said that when the Imjin War broke out, Seo Bang-gyeong, Seo Geuk-in, Yi Dae-im, Yi Nul and others moved the tablets enshrined at the hyanggyo into the Yongam stone cave, so that at least the tablets could be kept safe. When the hyanggyo was relocated and rebuilt, Deokgye Im Jae-hwa offered up the site of his family's ancestral home, contributing greatly to the reconstruction of the hyanggyo. The buildings that remain today are the Daeseongjeon, a space for holding rites; the Myeongnyundang, a lecture hall that served the educational function; the inner three-bay gate; and the outer three-bay gate. In the Daeseongjeon are enshrined, centered on Confucius, his disciples and the sages of China and Korea. During the Joseon period, students were taught with land, slaves, books and other support received from the state, but now the educational function has disappeared and only the ritual function remains.