Gobu Hyanggyo

About this place

Hyanggyo were government educational institutions that enshrined Confucius and various sages and provided education and moral guidance to local people. The exact founding date of Gobu Hyanggyo is unknown, but after being burned down during the Imjin War, it was relocated to its current site in the 30th year of King Seonjo (1597). Surviving buildings include the Daeseongjeon, Myungyundang, Dongmu and Seomu (east and west corridors), Jiksa (caretaker's quarters), Naesamun (inner gate), Oesamun (outer gate), and Hongsalmun (red arrow gate), and preserved artifacts include ritual vessels, ritual garments, and books. The Daeseongjeon is the sacrificial space, located on higher ground than the Myungyundang lecture hall. It is five bays in front and three on the side, with a saddleback roof that resembles the character for 'person' (人) when viewed from the side. Inside are enshrined the spirit tablets of Confucius and Chinese and Korean sages.