Maehakjeong Ilwon

About this place

Maehakjeong is the place where Gosan Hwang Gi-ro and his son-in-law Oksan Yi U enjoyed refined pursuits and cultivated their learning. Gosan excelled in calligraphy and was called Choseong (the sage of cursive script), and Oksan too was a master of calligraphy. In 1533 he built a pavilion at his grandfather's retreat and named it Maehakjeong; later Oksan inherited it. It burned down during the Imjin War of 1592, and in 1654 Oksan's great-grandson Hakjeong Yi Dong-myeong rebuilt it, adding Guirakdang beside it in 1675. The pavilion faces south and consists of four bays across the front and two bays deep. Rough-stone foundation stones were laid on a three-tiered granite stylobate and pillars were erected upon them. It has a single eave with rafter ends in a single tier and a hip-and-gable roof. The Maegang Seowon, built behind the pavilion in 1843, was demolished in 1868, leaving only its foundation stones.