Yeojuissi Oksanmunjung Historical Documents

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1473

Category

Books & Records

Era

1509~1614년

Designated year

2006

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경상북도 경주시

Coordinates

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

These well-preserved documents from different generations of the Oksan Branch of the Yeoju Yi Clan, including Hoejae Yi Eonjeok (1491-15530, span the 16th century to the early 20th century. The clan possesses a greater number of such documents, which are notable for their diversity and richness of content, than any other family clan. The ninety-eight designated documents, which predate the reign of King Seonjo, comprise one Government Paper, seven Royal Edicts, twenty Books of Royal Notices of Appointment, one Book of wage records, two Civil Petitions to the King, one Album of collected documents, twelve Official Certification Notices, seven Legal Papers, fourteen Testaments of division of assets, eighteen Documents regarding the sale of slaves, fourteen Documents regarding sale of land, and one Personal Letter. Notably, the contents include a royal edict that describes the scholarly achievements and official career of Yi Eon-jeok, and a letter written by King Injong, whom Yi befriended while he was serving as a high official in the Sejasigangwon, an institute dedicated to the education of the crown prince of Joseon. The Heotonggeupcheop illustrates that it was possible for a person to break away from class restrictions, making it a valuable material for studies of the history of class and rank in Joseon, while sixteen of the documents regarding slaves carry official certification of their sale or transfer, providing a valuable record of transactions involving slaves. These old documents belonging to the Oksan Branch of the Yeoju Yi Clan are particularly valuable materials for the study of Joseon’s class-based society as well as society and economics.