Uiseong Manchwidang

About this place

Manchwidang is a building erected by Kim Sa-won (1539–1601), a disciple of Yi Hwang (pen name Toegye), to pursue learning and train younger scholars. Poems and writings by many notable figures who visited it—such as Yi Hae (Ongye) and Ryu Seong-ryong (Seoae)—remain, and the signboard is in the handwriting of Han Ho (pen name Seokbong). The date of construction can be confirmed in the record of the repair of Manchwidang, which states that construction began in 1582 (15th year of King Seonjo) and was completed in 1584. Later, in 1711 (37th year of King Sukjong) some of the rafters were replaced; in 1727 (3rd year of King Yeongjo) two bays were added to the east (Bokjae); and in 1764 (40th year of King Yeongjo) a one-bay ondol room was added to the west (Seosoiksil), completing the present T-shaped plan. Manchwidang well preserves the architectural techniques of its founding period, such as the joinery of the purlins and main beams, and clearly shows the residential and scholarly culture of a 16th-century gentry household as well as the process of architectural change in response to social needs.