Munmyo (more specifically Seoul Munmyo or Seonggyungwan Munmyo) is

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

's primary

temple of Confucius A temple of Confucius or Confucian temple is a temple for the veneration of Confucius and the sages and philosophers of Confucianism in Chinese folk religion and other East Asian religions. They were formerly the site of the administration of ...

("munmyo" is also the general Korean term for a temple of Confucius). It is located in central

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, on the campus of

Sungkyunkwan University Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, found ...

. Munmyo houses a shrine to Confucius known as Daeseongjeon, or "Hall of Great Achievement." The main gate leading to the shrine Sinsammun, literally "Spirit Three Gate", is open only on special occasions such as Seokjeon Daeje. The central gate is reserved for the spirit of Confucius and his disciple, and no one else may enter through this gate. Past this gate is the central path that leads to Daeseongjeon, and visitors may not cross this path, especially during a ceremony when the gates are open. The courtyard is used for the '' Seokjeon Daeje'' ceremony. Munmyo also contains two other halls (''Dongmu'' and ''Seomu'', east and west hall), two dormitories (''Dongjae'' and ''Seojae'', east and west dormitories), a Confucian lecture hall called ''Myeongnyundang'', a library called ''Cheonggyeongdang'', and ''Jinsasikdang'' which is the dining hall.

History

The Munmyo is based on

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

practices from China, where

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

and followers of his teachings were honored and venerated. Temples dedicated to

and other disciples called "temples of Confucius" became widespread during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. This idea was brought to

where it was adopted. The buildings of Munmyo were first constructed in 1398, but they were destroyed in a fire in 1400, and rebuilt in 1407. The temple was again destroyed during

Japanese invasions of Korea Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

in 1592–1598, and the Daeseongjeon was rebuilt in 1601, and Myeongnyundang in 1606 with funds raised by students of

Sungkyunkwan Sungkyunkwan was the foremost educational institution in Korea during the late Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. Today, it sits in its original location, at the south end of the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul ...

. Repairs to the temple were conducted in 1869. Apart from Confucius, the four closest associates of Confucius (

Yan Hui Yan Hui (–481 BC) was a Chinese philosopher. He was the favorite disciple of Confucius and one of the most revered figures of Confucianism. He is venerated in Confucian temples as one of the Four Sages. Names Yan Hui is also known by his c ...

Zengzi Zeng Shen (505–435 BC), better known as Zengzi (Master Zeng), courtesy name Ziyu (), was a Chinese philosopher and disciple of Confucius. He later taught Zisi (Kong Ji), the grandson of Confucius, who was in turn the teacher of Mencius, thus b ...

Zisi Zisi (; c. 481–402 BCE), born Kong Ji (孔伋), was a Chinese philosopher and the grandson of Confucius. Intellectual genealogy, teaching, criticism Zisi was the son of Kong Li (孔鯉) ( Boyu (伯鱼)) and the only grandson of Confucius. ...

Mencius Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confucius' fourth generation of discip ...

), ten philosophers praised by Confucius, six Song dynasty

neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in t ...

s are also honoured in the temple. Also enshrined in the temple are 18 notable Korean confucians called the "Eighteen Sages of Korea" or the "Eighteen Confucian Scholars of the East" (, ), or Canonised Sages (配享先生). They are, in the chronological order of enshrinement: Choe Chiwon, Seol Chong,

An Hyang Ahn Hyang (안향, 安珦; 1243 – 12 September 1306), also known as Ahn Yu (안유, 安裕), was a leading Confucian scholar born in Yeongju in present-day South Korea, and was from the Sunheung Ahn clan. He is considered the founder of Neo-Con ...

Jeong Mong-ju Jeong Mong-ju (Korean: 정몽주, Hanja: 鄭夢周, January 13, 1338 – April 26, 1392), also known by his pen name Poeun (Korean: 포은), a historical figure during the transition period of the Korean dynasty moving from Goryeo (918-1392) to ...

, Kim Gweong-pil, Jeong Yeo-chang,

Jo Gwang-jo Jo Gwangjo (, 23 August 1482 – 10 January 1520), also often called by his pen name Jeong-am (), was Korean Neo-Confucian scholar who pursued radical reforms during the reign of Jungjong of Joseon in the early 16th century. He was framed with ...

Yi Eon-jeok Yi Eon-jeok (25 November 1491 — 23 November 1553), sometimes known by his pen name Hoejae, was a Korean philosopher and politician during the Joseon dynasty. He was a public official and intellectual of the middle era of the Joseon Dynasty of ...

Yi Hwang Yi Hwang (January 3, 1502– January 3, 1571) was the most important Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. He was a figure of the Neo-Confucian literati, established the Yeongnam School and set up the Dosan S ...

, Jo Hun,

Yi I Yi Yi (; December 26, 1536 – February 27, 1584) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. Yi I is often referred to by his pen name Yulgok (" Chestnut valley"). He was also a politicianSeong Hon Seong Hon (1535 – 1598) was a Korean philosopher, poet, and politician during the Joseon Dynasty. He was a Neo-Confucianist scholar who was a close friend of the scholar Yi I (Yulgok) and an older contemporary of Yi Hwang (Toegye), leader of th ...

Kim Jang-saeng Kim Jang-saeng (김장생, 金長生) (July 8, 1548 - August 3, 1631) was a Neo-Confucian scholar, politician, educator, and writer of Korea's Joseon period. He was successor to the Neo-Confucian academic tradition of Yulgok Yi I (이이) and S ...

, Song Si-yeol, Song Jun-gil, Pak Se-chae, Kim Inhu, and Kim Jip.

Present Day

A ritual ''Munmyo jerye'' (; ) or Seokjeon Daeje, which involves music and dance, is held there each year in the spring (April) and autumn (September); the ritual features ancient music of Chinese origin called ''Munmyo jeryeak'' (; ), which is a form of ''

aak ''Aak'' is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music ''yayue'', and means "elegant music". ''Aak'' was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in ce ...

''. The musicians are provided by the National Gugak Center. The instruments used include flutes (''

hun The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

'', ''so'', and bamboo flutes), zithers (''seul'' and ''geum''), stone chimes ('' pyeongyeong''), bronze bells ('' pyeonjong''), various drums played with sticks, tiger-shaped wooden scraper ('' eo''), wooden box ('' chuk''), and wooden clappers (''bak''). Munmyo is designated by the South Korean government as Historic Site No. 143.

References

External links

Sung Kyun Kwan University
*
Asian Historical Architecture: Munmyo Confucian Shrine
by Kim Ju-young, from ''The Korea Times''

Video

''Munmyo jeryeak'' video
{{WikidataCoord, display=title Korean Confucianism 14th-century establishments in Korea 1398 establishments in Asia Confucian temples in Korea

History

Present Day

See also

References

External links

Video