Intro
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The
first palace built in Seoul when it first became the capital was
Kyong-bok Palace. Construction began in 1394 under the
supervision of Sim Tokbu and Chong Tojon.
Despite
several fires and periods of neglect, it was rebuilt in 1865 and
served as the royal residence until the queen’s assassination in
1895.
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95%
of the rebuilt palace was again decimated during the Japanese occupation
in the early part of the twentieth century. Some of the buildings of
Kyong-bok Palace took further damage during the Korean War. New
rounds of construction have continued up until the present day.
Originally, there were 330 buildings on the site; only a fraction
(around 36) remain today.
Kyong-bok
Palace is extremely popular today: many visitors to Seoul, as
well as many residents, visit the palace daily. Wedding
photographs in Kyong-bok Palace are also very popular. In
addition to the many buildings on the site, this palace
also contains Pagoda Park, which houses many pagodas from
defunct temples.
Traditionally,
the only people that entered the palace through the front gate, the
Kunjong-mun, were the King and high-ranking dignitaries. Side
entrances on the east and west were used by everyone else. |
Pagoda from Wongak-sa
Now in Pagoda Park in Seoul
14' tall, 13 sides
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This forty-acre
palace area is laid out in a Chinese axial pattern in the shape of a
mandala. The buildings are
laid out so that each major building stands alone and is separated by a wall (similar to Pul-guk-sa Temple).
The clustered buildings and walls give the palace a slightly
labyrinthine appearance. The main hall of the palace,
Keun-jong Chon, lies at the terminus of a boulevard that points
towards Mount Pugak. It is believed that the palace's position
made it an ideal focus for ki (geomancy and shamanism have
lasting ties in the Korean culture). |
A view of some of the lesser buildings in
Kyong-bok
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During
the Japanese domination, their government building was placed on the
spot occupied by Kunjong-mun (the gatehouse directly in front of
Keun-jong Chon) - which they moved to the east side of the
city. When the Koreans reestablished sovereignty, the granite
building was too expensive to tear down, so they used it as a
government building for several years before turning it into the
National Museum. Due
to a variety of reasons laid out in Min Soo Kang's article "Kyongbok Palace: History, Controversy,
and Geomancy," the National Museum no longer stands in front of the
palace: it was demolished on August 15, 1995. The
view from Keun-jong Chon towards Mount Pugak is no longer
obstructed, and the Kunjong-mun has been moved back to its
original position. |
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Keun-Jong Chon from the southeast
Barely visible are the inter-columnar brackets found in Tap'o
buildings. |
Also
known as the Hall of Untiring Rule, Keun-jong Chon was the throne room for
the Yi Dynasty. Completed
in 1867, this hall is one of the few that have survived the various
invasions and wars that Seoul has seen in the last century.
This Ta’Po Style building is built on a series of 5 bays by 5
bays, with a doubled set of huge curving roofs matching the two platforms
on which
it rests.
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More than
half the
height of the interior is made up of the roof and ceiling: with
its interlocking and interweaving system of colored ceiling brackets and
coffers, the ensemble creates a very impressive interior space that can
only be viewed from the doorway: visitor access is restricted.
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Kyong-hoi Ru |
To the northwest of the Throne Hall is Kyong-hoi Ru. The
open-air Banquet Hall stands in the center of an artificial pond and is only
reachable by three stone bridges. The
pink lotuses filling the artificial lake embody the belief that the
country’s fertility was dependant upon symbolic activities and the use
of symbolism by the king: the pink lotus is associated with fertility.
Kyong-hoi Ru is the
most famous hall in Kyong-bok Kung.
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The
symbolism embodied by the Banquet Hall continues till this day: the
currency of Korea bears a picture of it. The building is also a
powerful symbol of Korea as a whole. The alternate name for
Kyong-hoi Ru is
"Auspicious Meeting," reflecting the diplomatic function of the
building.
The original Banquet Hall was burned down during the
Hideyoshi invasion, but was reconstructed in 1867 as a copy of the
original structure. The
complex has two stories, the first being a large, cool floor capable of
serving more than a hundred guests; the second is a dual-purpose
indoor/outdoor veranda. Forty-eight tapered stone columns support the
second story and huge curved roof.
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There
are many many other buildings incorporated in Kyongbok Palace including
Hyang-won Chong, a smaller, eight-sided two-story pavilion that is
situated on an artificial island in a large pond northeast of the Banquet
Hall; Sujongjon, which was a cabinet office during the Choson Dynasty;
Manchujon and Chonchujon Halls, the latter being one of the oldest
buildings in the palace; Sajongjon Hall, where the king conducted
day-to-day business; and Chipkyongdang Hall, a royal bedchamber. |
Sajongjon Hall, an excellent example of how ornate Tap'o
architecture can get.
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