Hunmongjai Historic Site

About this place

Hunmongjai was a study hall established in the 3rd year of King Myeongjong of Joseon (1548) by Haseo Kim In-hu, who moved to Jeomam Village in Sunchang, his wife's hometown, built a thatched hall, hung the plaque 'Hunmong' (Instructing the Ignorant), and conducted lectures there. Kim In-hu remained at Hunmongjai from 1548 until about 1549, when he returned to Jangseong after the death of his father — a period of approximately two years. Around 1680, Kim In-hu's fifth-generation descendant Kim Si-seo built Jayeondang nearby and lived there, rebuilding Hunmongjai to nurture future scholars, but it fell into disrepair again. Around 1820, descendants of Kim In-hu rebuilt Hunmongjai in Jeomam Village and established Eoam Seowon, enshrining the spirit tablets of Kim In-hu, Kim Si-seo, Jeong Cheol, and Yi I; however, it was dismantled by Daewongun's edict abolishing seowon. During the Japanese colonial period, Hunmongjai was rebuilt but was destroyed in the Korean War in 1951. In 2005, excavations by Jeonju University Museum confirmed a building site beneath 10-20 cm of topsoil that is presumed to be the historic Hunmongjai site, and it is currently covered over again. Adjacent to the designated site are the Hunmongjai and its auxiliary buildings Jayeondang, Yangjeong-gwan, and Simyeonjeong. On the east bank of the Churyeong Stream is a rock carved with the characters 'Daehakam' (Great Learning Rock), with the tradition that the poet Song Gang Jeong Cheol learned the Great Learning from Kim In-hu at this spot.