Korea's Religious Places - 2.4.6 Donam Seowon (Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do)

Donam Seowon (Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do)

The Donam Seowon was built to honor the great scholar Kim Jang-saeng (1548–1631) in 1634. In 1660, King Hyeonjong calligraphed the signboard to hang at the main hall. The royal signboard made the Donam Seowon one of the protected seowon that were not destroyed or downgraded during the rule of the Heungseon Daewongun, who, as regent for the king in the 1860s, recognized only forty-seven seowon.

Most noteworthy at the Donam Seowon are the scholars enshrined there. In addition to being the primary seowon to honor Kim Jang-saeng, there are three other major figures enshrined here. Altogether, these four scholars are also enshrined in the Seonggyungwan National Academy. The only father-son pair enshrined at the Seonggyungwan National Academy is Kim Jang-saeng and his son, Kim Jip—Kim Jip is also enshrined here at the Donam Seowon. The other two from the National Academy were distant cousins, Song Jun-gil and Song Si-yeol.

More than their physical features, the buildings, or National Treasures, at this seowon, the unique feature is the family connections of the great sages honored here—two are father and son, and two, although not close family, are from the same lineage. None of the other sages are of the same lineage.