Nokdong Seowon Confucian Academy

In Urok-ri, Gachang-myeon, in Daegu's Dalseong County, Nokdong Seowon is a Confucian academy and shrine dedicated to a Japanese general who switched sides and became a subject of Joseon. Sayaga landed at Busan in 1592 as a vanguard commander in Kato Kiyomasa's army and surrendered before any fighting began; King Seonjo later gave him the Korean name Kim Chung-seon (1571–1642). His descendants still live in the village, and Japanese school groups visit the Korea-Japan Friendship Hall next door.

From Japanese commander to Joseon general

The Mohadang Munjip, a collection compiled by his descendants, records that Sayaga came ashore at Busan on 13 April 1592 and surrendered straight away. The number of troops he brought differs by source: 3,000 men or about 500. He passed on his skill with matchlock muskets and cannon and his knowledge of gunpowder making to the Joseon forces and fought against the Japanese. King Seonjo granted him the surname Kim of the Gimhae clan and the given name Chung-seon. He served again in the Yi Gwal Rebellion (1624) and the Manchu invasion of 1636, which is why he is remembered as a merit subject of three wars. Korean and Japanese scholars have suggested that he may have belonged to the Saiga, a band of musketeer mercenaries from Wakayama.

After the wars he settled in today's Urok-dong. He renamed the village, then called Ureuk, Urok (友鹿), "friend of the deer". Mohadang was his pen name.

The academy's history

Nokdong Seowon was first built at the petition of local Confucian scholars in 1789 or 1791 (sources differ), under King Jeongjo. It was pulled down in 1868 under the Regent Heungseon Daewongun's order closing most seowon, later rebuilt, and moved to its current site and enlarged around 1971–1972. A memorial rite for Kim Chung-seon is held every spring.

What to see

• Nokdongsa Shrine and Hyangyangmun Gate: the shrine holding Kim Chung-seon's memorial tablet and the gate in front of it, backed by bamboo groves and the hillside.
• Memorial steles: stone tablets on turtle-shaped bases in the front courtyard record his life.
• Dalseong Korea-Japan Friendship Hall: a two-storey exhibition hall opened in 2012 beside the academy. It covers the history of Korea-Japan exchange and the culture of Wakayama, Sayaga's likely home, with a 3D video room and a Japanese-style garden. On the first and third Sundays of each month you can try on hanbok or a yukata.
• Kim Chung-seon's grave: about 500 m up the trail on Samjeongsan behind the academy.

Tripto tips

• Hours: the Friendship Hall is open March–October 09:00–18:00 and November–February 09:00–17:00, closed on Mondays, 1 January and the days of Seollal and Chuseok. Admission and parking are free; groups must book by phone.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the academy and the hall, around 1 hour 30 minutes if you walk up to the grave.
• Getting there: the address is 218 Urok-gil, Gachang-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu (the hall is at no. 206). It is roughly 40 minutes by car from central Daegu towards Gachang; a car or taxi is easier than public transport.
• When to go: spring flowers line the academy walls, and the slopes of Samjeongsan turn colourful in autumn.
• Combine with: Gyeongsang Gamyeong Park and the Daegu modern history alleys around Gyesan-dong Cathedral let you follow Daegu's story from the Imjin War to the modern era in a day.