Incheon Hyanggyo Confucian School

At the foot of Seunghaksan in Munhak-dong, Michuhol-gu, stands Incheon Hyanggyo, the public Confucian school of the old Incheon district. Right beside it is a reconstruction of the Incheon district government office, so you can see both the "school" and the "town hall" of a Joseon-era district in one place. Rites for Confucius and the sages are still held every spring and autumn, along with classes in traditional etiquette.

What is a hyanggyo?

A hyanggyo was a state school set up in each district during the Joseon dynasty. It had two roles: honouring Confucius and other sages with memorial rites, and educating local students. Schools were funded with land, servants and books granted by the state, and Incheon Hyanggyo had a quota of 30 students taught by a single instructor. In late Joseon, teaching faded and the rites became its main purpose.

History

Its founding date is uncertain. A record of repairs in the mid-15th century shows it existed before then, and some sources say it was built in Munhak-dong in 1398. The main buildings standing today appear to date from late Joseon, and the shrine hall, lecture hall and gates were repaired in 1976. It was designated an Incheon Tangible Cultural Heritage on 9 November 1990.

In the Joseon period Gyeonggi Province had 3 mok, 8 dohobu, 10 gun and 12 hyeon, and both Incheon and Bupyeong were dohobu. Incheon was raised to the status of a dohobu (a higher-ranking district) in 1459, because it was the maternal home of Queen Jeonghui, King Sejo's consort. The district office next door dates from that system; a roof tile from its guesthouse bearing the date "16th year of Kangxi" confirms repairs in 1677. The surviving original office building stands inside nearby Munhak Elementary School and is not freely accessible, but the reconstruction beside the hyanggyo is open to visitors.

What to see

• Red gate and dismount stone: a red hongsalmun gate and a hamabi stone telling riders to dismount stand at the entrance, and a group of old steles gathers in front of the school.
• Outer gate: a red three-bay gate painted with taegeuk symbols at the top of a flight of steps.
• Myeongnyundang and dormitories: the teaching area at the front. The Myeongnyundang lecture hall has seven bays, and the east and west dormitories ten bays each.
• Daeseongjeon: the six-bay, gable-roofed shrine hall behind the inner gate, flanked by the east and west side shrines, with spirit tablets of the Five Sages, Confucius among them, and of 18 Korean scholars.

The layout is a textbook example of jeonhak humyo, "school in front, shrine behind". The grounds cover about 21,000 m², so there is room to wander the courtyards and walled paths between the buildings.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: there is no admission charge. How much is open on a given day depends on the school, so ask ahead if you want to see the inner shrine area.
• Rites: the seokjeon ceremony is held in spring and autumn, and incense is offered on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour for the school and the district office next door.
• Nearby: Incheon Munhak Stadium is close by, so it is an easy stop before or after a game.