The Gukhak () was the sole recorded institution of higher learning in the
Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
period of medieval
Korean history.
[''Gyeongju Hyanggyo (a local school annexed to the Confucian shrine)''](_blank)
Gyeongju City-Transportation System, Retrieved on August 2, 2009 It provided training in the
Chinese classics
The Chinese classics or canonical texts are the works of Chinese literature authored prior to the establishment of the imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Prominent examples include the Four Books and Five Classics in the Neo-Confucian traditi ...
. An earlier institution, the
Taehak, had been founded in 372.
The Gukhak was established early in the
Unified Silla period, in 682 (the second year of
King Sinmun).
During the reign of King
Gyeongdeok (r. 742-765) its name was changed briefly to ''Daehakgam'' (대학감, 大學監) but reverted to ''Gukhak'' during the following reign of King
Hyegong (r. 765-780). Like its counterpart in Tang China, the Gukhak was established primarily to train local officials in the Confucian classics and the composition skills requisite for the governance of an enlarged Silla state. The establishment of such an institution was increasingly critical by the 7th century with the maturation of Silla's bureaucratic system modeled upon that of Tang China.
The Gukhak was superseded by the
Gukjagam, which was established in
Gaegyeong in 992 during the
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
dynasty.
Entrance qualifications
Students were able to enter Gukhak from 15 to 30 years old. When they graduated from the Gukhak, they were given the title of Nama or 'Daema'. It is estimated that most of the students were of the
sixth head rank.
See also
*
Korean Confucianism
*
Gukjagam
*
Seonggyungwan
*
Guozijian, the Tang Dynasty model for the Gukhak.
References
Korean Confucianism
Education in Korea
Silla
Educational institutions established in the 7th century
682 establishments
7th-century establishments in Korea
{{Korea-hist-stub