Hwasan Seowon (Iksan)

About this place

Hwasan Seowon, located in Yongsun-ri, Geumma-myeon, Iksan, is a late Joseon-period Confucian academy. It is a representative seowon of Iksan, enshrining Kim Jangsaeng (pen name Sagye), Song Siyeol (pen name Uam), So Dusan (pen name Wolju), So Hwimyeon (pen name Insan), and Hwang Jahou (pen name Jukyu). It was founded in 1654 (the 5th year of King Hyojong), received a royal nameplate (사액) in 1662 (the 3rd year of King Hyeonjong), and was demolished in 1868 (the 5th year of King Gojong). In 1937, a lecture hall and caretaker's cottage were established, and in 1966 a shrine was built and walls were erected; in 2002 it was extensively rebuilt. As a seowon venerating Kim Jangsaeng, a great master of Joseon ritual studies, and Song Siyeol, who led the Seoin (Westerner) faction while insisting on loyalty to the Ming dynasty after the Manchu invasion, it was a prestigious academy with as many as thirty students. It was so highly regarded in Iksan — a Yangban (aristocratic) district — that it was said 'left is Changpyeong (Changpyeong Hyanggyo) and right is Iksan (Hwasan Seowon)'. The compound includes a shrine, lecture hall, and caretaker's cottage, and commemorative stelae are erected within the grounds.