Head House of the Onhye Branch of the Jinseong Yi Clan, Andong (Toegye Taesil)

About this place

Located in Onhye-ri, Andong, this is the birthplace of Toegye Yi Hwang, the Neo-Confucian scholar of the Joseon period; it is a house built in 1454 (the 2nd year of King Danjong) by the scholar's grandfather, Gyeyang-gong. When his grandfather Yi Gye-yang was appointed as an education official (gyodo) of Bonghwa-hyeon and was on his way to his post, he was captivated by the beauty of the mountains and streams and, while resting on a mountain, conversed with a passing monk about the geomancy of Onhye. As the monk surveyed the surroundings, he pointed to the foot of a low hill and said, 'If you build a house and live here, you will surely have a noble son,' so Yi Gye-yang built the Nosongjeong and laid the foundation for his descendants to live for generations. Later, in 1501, because Toegye is said to have been born in the room at the very center of this house, it is called 'Toegye Taesil' (Toegye's Birth Chamber). The main building is square (ㅁ) shaped with the Toegye Taesil at its center, and to the east of the main building stands the single-line (一) shaped Nosongjeong. The whole house is called Nosongjeong Jongtaek; it has the overall form of a Joseon-period aristocratic (sadaebu) house, and in particular the distinctive room such as the birth chamber shows one aspect of an upper-class residence. Toegye Taesil was originally designated as Gyeongsangbuk-do Folk Cultural Heritage No. 60, but in November 2018 its name was changed to the Head House of the Onhye Branch of the Jinseong Yi Clan, Andong, and its status was elevated to National Folk Cultural Heritage. Nosongjeong Jongtaek offers traditional-house lodging experiences.