Jirijeonseodongrimjodam

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2057

Category

Books & Records

Era

조선 15세기 추정(태종연간, 1400～1418)

Designated year

2020

Location

동작구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 동작구

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

Jirijeonseo dongrimjodam is a book about Feng Shui, one of the main subjects in examinations held to recruit officials for the Gwansanggam (Office for Observation of Natural Phenomena) during the Joseon period. It is said that the book was written by a Chinese citizen named Fan Yuefeng during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period between Tang and Song of China . Jirijeonseo dongrimjodam is composed of two volumes and twenty-two parts, of which Volume I comprises eight parts and Volume II fourteen parts. Its main text and footnotes were printed with Gyemi middle-sized metal type and Gyemi small-sized metal type. It lacks a foreword or postscript, making it difficult to ascertain anything about the date of or background to its publication. The use of Gyemi middle-sized metal type, however, has led historians to conclude that it was printed during the reign of King Taejong (r. 1400-1418) of the Joseon dynasty at the latest. Although a considerable number of Confucian books were published for candidates preparing for the Gwageo (a state examination for the recruitment of high-ranking officers and officials) for the civil service and the military, far fewer books on Feng Shui were published for the public Mixed Service Examination, as there were few candidates, so only a few copies of the book remain today. Thus, as Jirijeonseo dongrimjodam is a very rare copy of a book that was printed with Gyemi metal movable type, which was used between the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, and was regarded as an important work on Feng Shui during the Joseon period, it is a valuable artifact from the historic, academic, and bibliographical perspectives.