Chungjae ilgi (Diary of Gwon Beol)

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.261

Category

Books & Records

Era

중종 2년(1507)∼5년(1510)

Designated year

1963

Location

봉화군, 경상북도— 경상북도 봉화군 충재길 60 (봉화읍, 충재박물관)

Coordinates

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

This is the diary of Gwon Beol (1478-1548) whose pen name was Chungjae, a government official and a scholar during the reign of King Jungjong of Joseon. He served as a high ranking government official after passing the state examination in 1507 (the 2nd year of the reign of King Jungjong) but was dismissed one time in the first purge of scholars and exiled in the second purge of scholars. The contents of the diary can be found in his anthology, Chungjaejip, and they were used as basic data for Jungjong sillok (Annals of King Jungjong). The diary is a precious record that describes the life of a government official as well as routine events of the government before the reign of King Seonjo. Such detailed record of everyday life of a government official at the palace is very rare since a majority of such records were burnt during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. For this reason, Gwon Beol’s diary is one of the most highly valued records along with some others that survived the fire such as the Miam Ilgi (Diary of Miam) by Yu Hui-chun and the Diary of Seokdam by Yi I. Events that took place after the invasion are well described in the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat. Chungjae Ilgi (Diary of Chungjae) is also a great demonstration of Gwon Beol’s superb writing and calligraphy skills.