In this paper, I looked into a book named Kyungram in Ogura Bunko, Tokyo University. Especially I focused on the contents, intention, and the aspect of translation. This is related to the worth of publishing Korean linguistic history. This book is one...
In this paper, I looked into a book named Kyungram in Ogura Bunko, Tokyo University. Especially I focused on the contents, intention, and the aspect of translation. This is related to the worth of publishing Korean linguistic history. This book is one and only copy, and the texts are recorded in Korean alphabet. It contains total 27 poem and prose. Only two of them are originally created in Korean, and others are translated into Korean from Chinese. As this book has no preface or epilogue we can’t define the exact compiler, compiling date, and intention. However, I guess this book was compiled between 1762 and 1774 by Min Baek-sun who is Kim Chang-jip’s grandson. That is because 13 of 27 articles were created by Kim Chan-jip and most of them were related to the massacre of scholars occurred in 1771. Therefore, Min Baek-sun compiled this book to inform an injustice of his family to the posterity. And he translated it into Korean to get women of his family to read. In general, most books of Korean annotation of Chinese classics have its original version. Unlike this, it seems like Kyungram have translated into Korean without original version written in Chinese. We can guess the aspect of translation and the history of political party strife during the late Chosun period through this book.