국립조선왕조실록 박물관 National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty

The Joseon government deeply valued records and housed duplicate copies of its records of the royal court, including sillok and uigwe, in multiple locations: the Chunchugwan National History Archives in the capital Hanyang and four satellite provincial archives respectively on Jeongjoksan Mountain in Ganghwa, Taebaeksan Mountain in Bonghwa, Jeoksangsan Mountain in Muju, and Odaesan Mountain in Pyeongchang. However, when Korea lost its sovereignty during the Japanese colonial era, the royal records of the Joseon Dynasty were scattered. Notably, the sillok and uigwe that had been stored at the Odaesan National History Archives were transferred to Japan in 1913.

Many of the sillok volumes from the Odaesan National History Archives that were removed from the country were lost in the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. Among the seventy-four volumes that survived from the earthquake, twenty-seven were returned to Korea in 1932. The remaining forty-seven were restored in 2006. In 1922, the uigwe from the Gyujanggak Royal Library and from the Odaesan, Taebaeksan, and Jeongjoksan National History Archives were sent to Japan in the form of a loan. Owing to the efforts of many different people, some of these uigwe were returned to Korea in 2011.

The surviving sillok and uigwe from the Odaesan National History Archives that had long been stored abroad finally returned home after more than 100 years. Drawing upon the spirit of our ancestors, the National Museum of the Annals and Royal Protocols of Joseon Dynasty intends to rekindle their archival culture.

There were protective temples guarding these four archives. The Odaesan National History Archives was protected by Yeonggamsa Temple, a hermitage under Woljeongsa Temple. The royal court had the Governor of Gangwon-do Province and the District Magistrate of Gangneung report on the state of Odaesan National History Archives in detail and regularly dispatched official historiographers to the archives to inspect its storage conditions.

Since the Joseon Dynasty strictly managed and operated these satellite archives, the books housed deep in the mountains at the Odaesan National History Archives survived in good condition until being transported to Seoul during the Japanese colonial era.

The buildings at the Odaesan National History Archives burned down during the Korean War. However, it was designated a historic site in 1963 and its Sagak Hall and Seonwonbogak Hall were restored. They have been maintained ever since.

In the early Joseon period, three satellite archives were constructed in relatively accessible locations in Chungju, Jeonju, and Seongju to complement the Chunchugwan National History Archives located within the precincts of the royal palace. However, only the Jeonju archives survived the Japanese Invasions of Korea. New satellite archives were built in remote sites on Odaesan Mountain in Gangwon-do Province, Taebaeksan Mountain in Gyeongsang-do Province, Myohyangsan Mountain in Pyeongan-do Province, and Manisan Mountain on Ganghwado Island. Despite these efforts, the Chunchugwan and Manisan National History Archives were damaged in the Uprising of Yi Gwal and the Manchurian Invasions of Korea. As a result, the Manisan National History Archives was moved to Jeongjoksan Mountain. Concerned about its deteriorating relations with the Later Jin Dynasty in China, the Joseon Dynasty government transferred the national history archives on Myohyangsan Mountain in the north to Jeoksangsan Mountain in Jeolla-do Province.

The system of five national history archives, with the Chunchugwan National History Archives as the central location and four satellite archives on Odaesan, Taebaeksan, Jeongjoksan, and Jeoksangsan Mountains, was maintained stably throughout the late Joseon period. The Joseon government operated the production and management of its archival records on a level unsurpassed in any other country. This system is one of the reasons the Joseon Dynasty managed to endure for over 500 years.

Books were stored inside boxes to prevent damage and improve security. The most important archival records, Joseon wangjo sillok and Joseon wangjo uigwe, were housed on the second story of Sagak Hall. Other writings composed by kings or records related to the royal family were housed there as well, including Hongjae jeonseo, Gukjobogam, and Yeolseong eoje. Moreover, there were a wide variety of books related to the royal court, such as state law books like the Gyeonggukdaejeon, Confucian classics, books published by government offices, collections of scholars’ literary works, and genealogies of noble families.

Since the national history archives were located in the mountains, had no ondol floor-heating system, and housed books inside boxes, the records could be vulnerable to humidity and insects. Accordingly, poswae, taking the books out of their boxes and drying them in the wind, were conducted regularly. Official historiographers were dispatched from the royal court to perform poswae once every two or three years in the spring or fall. The needed items were provided by Gangwon-do Province. It could generally be completed within one day, but sometimes when an archive contained many books, three days were required. The management personnel for the Odaesan National History Archives were recruited from Gangwon-do Province where it was located. Two highly-educated people were selected from among the nobles residing in Gangneung and appointed as chambong, or keepers, of the Odaesan National History Archives. Yeonggamsa, a hermitage under Woljeongsa Temple, served as the temple responsible for protecting the archives from nearby. The head monk of Woljeongsa Temple assumed the duty of a chongseop, the person overseeing the management of the archives. Forty monks from Gangneung and Yangyang were selected to take charge of patrolling the archives, with twenty on duty at one time in shifts. Four men were drawn from among the commoners living in the neighborhood to serve as guards for protecting the archives, but in the eighteenth century, the number of guards was increased to sixty.

Joseon wangjo sillok was produced according to rigorous guidelines designed to ensure fairness and objectivity. They documented a wide variety of subjects, including events in the daily lives of royal family members, major issues discussed at the royal court, written appeals submitted by officials, exchanges with other countries, natural disasters, and the customs and lives of the common people. Matters were recorded by date like in a diary, and evaluations of the events by official historiographers were added. Official historiographers were guaranteed the right to record unadulterated facts without bowing to any other authority. To protect this autonomy, kings were not allowed to read the completed annals or the official historiographers’ records upon which they were based. Moreover, even when published annals were later revised or corrected, the original versions were kept intact to allow future generations to evaluate them before and after their revision or correction.

The published annals were enshrined at the Chunchugwan National History Archives in the capital and the satellite archives in the provinces for safeguarding. The annals housed at these archives were sometimes endangered by upheavals. Nevertheless, the efforts made to protect these annals in the past and those made recently to retrieve them have enabled us today to better understand the governance of the Joseon Dynasty.

A total of 2,219 volumes of Joseon wangjo sillok have been identified in South Korea to date. The Jeongjoksan and Taebaeksan National History Archives contain sillok from the reigns of all of the Joseon kings except one volume of Munjong sillok. Most of the sillok volumes from the Jeoksangsan National History Archives were removed to North Korea during the Korean War, so only a few remain in the south. The sillok from the Odaesan National History Archives were transported to Japan during the colonial era. As mentioned, most of these were lost during the Great Kantō Earthquake in 1923, and currently only seventy-five volumes remain. Moreover, there are versions kept at Bongmodang Hall for the kings’ reading and some sillok volumes that are believed to have been housed at the Chunchugwan National History Archives.

When writing sillok, sacho, the drafts that official historiographers wrote daily by the king’s side, sijeonggi, which were administrative records composed of drafts and other government office documents, records from central and local government offices, Seungjeongwon ilgi, and other materials all were consulted. Once these materials were gathered, guidelines for documentation were established and manuscripts were written. The written manuscripts were revised and multiple copies were printed to accommodate the number of national history archives where the sillok would be enshrined.

The sacho, sijeonggi, and interim manuscripts used as sources for writing sillok were later erased with water to prevent them from being read again. The completed sillok was enfolded in a wrapping cloth and placed inside a box. Afterwards, the sillok volumes were distributed and enshrined at the Chunchugwan National History Archives in Seoul and the satellite archives in other regions. After the compilation of a sillok, the Sillokcheong Office documented the compilation process in Sillokcheong uigwe and Sillokcheong jemyeonggi in order to provide a template for later generations.

The sillok of Kings Taejo, Jeongjong, and Taejeong were produced in the early Joseon period and are transcribed copies. The paper surfaces of these sillok were coated with beeswax to protect them from humidity and insects. The sillok recording the reigns of King Sejong through King Myeongjong were produced before the Japanese Invasions of Korea and were printed using metal type cast in the Eulhae and Gapin years during the early Joseon period. This metal type was damaged in the Japanese Invasions of Korea and it was difficult to cast new metal type afterwards. Accordingly, sillok produced in the post-war decades, such as those of Kings Seonjo, Injo, and Hyojong, were handwritten or printed using wooden type. During the reign of King Sukjong, Hyeonjong sillok was printed with copper type cast specially for printing sillok. All subsequent sillok were printed using metal type.

Official historiographers were selected based on recommendations from senior official historiographers. Once candidates were nominated, they were reviewed by high-ranking officials from the Hongmungwan and Yemungwan Offices and by others who had served as official historiographers. Finalists were then selected after taking an exam based on commenting on selected readings. To become an official historiographer, one was required to demonstrate the ability to narrate history, a profound knowledge of Confucian classics and ideology, and insight into examining an overall situation. In addition to expansive knowledge, they needed to meet strict conditions such as possessing an upright personality, the ability to resist external pressure, and families free from issues.

Among the surviving seventy-five sillok volumes at the Odaesan National History Archives, the nine volumes of Seongjong sillok and fifty volumes of Jungjong sillok have special characteristics. Proofreading marks left from the editorial process can be seen in the main texts. Seongjong sillok and Jungjong sillok are smaller than typical sillok since they are recycled proofreading versions used as final versions with the edges of the paper cut away for binding. When producing a sillok, the manuscript was proofread and errors were corrected. A finalized version was usually completed by reprinting or hand-writing a new version. It was a principle to discard the proofreading version created during this process. However, due to a shortage of materials following decades of war, some proofreading versions were used as final versions. These versions of sillok were enshrined at the Odaesan National History Archives, enabling us to see the traces of proofreading today.

The proofreading marks found in Seongjong sillok and Jungjong sillok at the Odaesan National History Archives are important because they show not only the proofreading practices of the Joseon Dynasty, but also the continuing efforts made to protect state archives despite the ravages of war.

The entire process of writing, compiling, and managing Joseon wangjo sillok was carefully systemized. Notably, the autonomy of the official historiographers who wrote the core materials and did the publishing was institutionally guaranteed. They produced their own evaluations of politics and people’s behaviors at the time while trying to take a historical perspective. To increase the integrity and credibility of sillok, kings were not allowed to read the sacho drafts.

Joseon wangjo sillok provides an essential foundation for studying the history of the Joseon Dynasty. Furthermore, it is a source of inspiration for numerous fields and can be used as a mirror that helps all of us examine the past, present, and future.

During the Joseon Dynasty, uigwe were created for various types of national events. They were largely categorized into those related to the life events of the king (birth, installation, enthronement, wedding, funeral, and more) and those related to activities in the royal court (banquets, reception of foreign envoys, publication of archival records, creation of royal portraits, construction of buildings, and more).

Uigwe began to be created in the early Joseon period, but only those produced in and after the seventeenth century have survived. A vast body of archival records of the Joseon royal court were lost during the Japanese Invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598 and the Second Manchurian Invasion in 1636. A considerable number of uigwe appear to have disappeared at the time.

Five to eight editions of a Joseon wangjo uigwe (Royal Protocol of the Joseon Dynasty) were normally produced. One of them was offered to the king, and the rest were housed at the government office responsible for the rite depicted in the uigwe or at national history archives. Some of these uigwe were sadly removed from the country while Korea was suffering through clashes between imperial powers and the tragedy of losing its sovereignty in the late Joseon and Korean Empire periods.

The uigwe from the Odaesan National History Archives were transported to Seoul as part of a project for sorting and organizing books implemented by the Japanese Government-General of Korea during the Japanese colonial era. In 1922, the Japanese authorities transported eighty-two volumes, mostly uigwe from the reigns of Emperor Gojong and Emperor Sunjong, to Japan. Following efforts by people from all sorts of backgrounds, some of these uigwe were returned to Korea in 2011 and have been restored to their original home on Odaesan Mountain.

Whenever a royal event was held, a temporary office called a dogam was installed to supervise the process. The dogam collected documents on the entire process and organized them by date. It had its subordinate departments organize the tasks with which they were entrusted. Once the event was complete, the Uigwecheong Office produced uigwe based on the documents from the departments.

Uigwe vividly relate national events by including related discussions between the king and his officials, documents exchanged among government offices, lists of people in charge, the goods used, and the particulars of the expenses and rewards provided to the people involved. Moreover, uigwe contain documentary paintings of the processions of the participants and illustrations of the various goods used during the events. This provides important information about life at the Joseon royal court.

These illustrations depict the items used and the clothes worn during rituals, newly constructed or repaired buildings, dances performed at events, and much more. The inclusion of simple information next to the illustrated items, such as their uses, materials, production methods, and sizes, gave a sense of what they would actually look like.

Documentary paintings, or Banchdo, in the Uigwe portray figures participating in rituals and ceremonies and related objects at predetermined locations. Mainly, processions or the progress of events are depicted. Names or numbers are written next to the figures and ritual objects. Only ritual or ceremonial objects are shown in some Uigwe with no figures, but in other cases, figures and related objects are indicated only with text. Documentary paintings were produced before events were held in order to consult when preparing upcoming events and to check for errors in the preparations. Modifications made while holding actual rituals and ceremonies were reflected when completing Uigwe.

Some Uigwe capture highlights from the lives of Joseon kings as they ruled the country. These include Uigwe associated with King Taejo, the founder of Joseon Dynasty; King Cheoljong, who lived in Ganghwa as a young man and later became a king; and Gojong, the final king of the Joseon Dynasty and the first ruler of the Korean Empire.

When the country was in crisis, the Joseon Dynasty government would refurbish the Jinjeon Royal Portrait Hall, create new copies of royal portraits, and enshrine them at Jinjeon. In particular, the portrait of King Taejo was considered a significant emblem of the national authority. King Taejo, who was previously known as Yi Seonggye, was the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. Since he directly stood for the legitimacy of the Joseon Dynasty, several copies of his portraits were enshrined throughout the country. Some of the Uigwe related to the production of portraits of King Taejo describe the efforts made to keep them in good condition. Others related to the production of the extant portraits of King Taejo include Mosa Uigwe recording the exact copying of his previous portraits and Yeonggeon Uigwe describing the construction and repairs of the royal portrait halls for the enshrinement of his portraits.

Daerye Uigwe records how the Korean Empire that Emperor Gojong proclaimed came into being. Here, Daerye refers to a grand ceremony directly conducted by a ruler. The enthronement of an emperor is part of this great ceremony. The proclamation of the Korean Empire resulted from Gojong’s desire to pursue national independence and enhance the country’s prosperity and military power in the face of incursions and threats from the great powers.

Emperor Gojong reshuffled the national rites, ceremonies, and systems in accordance with the status of an empire. He constructed Hwangudan Altar across from Gyeongungung Palace to provide a space where an emperor could offer the required sacrifices to heaven. The colors and forms of the symbolic objects used during rites and ceremonies changed in accordance with the proprieties of an empire. The state funeral of Empress Myeongseong was performed on a grand scale suited to an empress.

In addition to modifying the proprieties, Emperor Gojong posthumously honored previous kings as emperors. King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, and his lineal descendants across four generations, Kings Jangjo, Jeongjo, Sunjo, and Munjo were honored as emperors and their queens as empresses. The crown prince was installed as the imperial prince and granted a golden seal and book. Gojong’s efforts to proclaim Korea as an empire and elevate the nation’s standing can be seen in this Daerye Uigwe.

Once a king or queen passed away, three temporary offices, a Binjeon dogam, Gukjang dogam, and Sanneung dogam, were installed for the funeral. The Binjeon dogam was in charge of taking care of the body of the deceased, setting up a mourning chamber, and preparing mourning clothes. The Gukjang dogam took on the tasks of supervising the funeral and placing the king’s or queen’s coffin in a royal tomb. The Sanneung dogam was responsible for constructing the royal tomb. After the funeral, a Honjeon dogam might be installed for enshrining a memorial tablet and officiating the three-year mourning period. Once the Bumyo dogam completed the ritual of enshrining a king’s or queen’s memorial tablet at the Jongmyo Ancestral Shrine after the three-year mourning period, all procedures for the state funeral were concluded.

The Japanese Ministry of the Imperial Household made the request in order to publish the Annals of the Yi Royal Family. After forcibly annexing Korea in 1910, Japanese authorities downgraded the Joseon royal family to the Yi royal family, invested it as a Japanese noble family, and incorporated it into the Japanese imperial system. These authorities tried to show that they were treating the Joseon royal family with all the proprieties of royalty and display the legitimacy of their colonial rule by publishing the Annals of the Yi Royal Family compiling the records on the Joseon royal family in and after the reign of King Gojong. Joseon Wangjo Uigwe was needed as a reference for the publication of these books. Accordingly, most of the retrieved Uigwe from the Odaesan National History Archives were produced in and after the reign of King Gojong or were related to royal rites and ceremonies like state funerals, festive rites, and the presentation of honorific names. By consulting these Uigwe as a source, Japanese authorities published the Annals of the Abdicated King Yi about King Gojong and conducted the state funeral of Emperor Sunjong in 1926 according to the formalities of traditional Joseon royal rites.