This study examines the case of Shin Hyeon (1764-1827), who, while dispatched as the Secretary (Seojanggwan) of the Gratitude Envoy (Saeunsa) in 1801 (Sunjo 1), received news of his mother's death during the mission - a situation known as Sajungmuns...
This study examines the case of Shin Hyeon (1764-1827), who, while dispatched as the Secretary (Seojanggwan) of the Gratitude Envoy (Saeunsa) in 1801 (Sunjo 1), received news of his mother's death during the mission - a situation known as Sajungmunsang. Through this case, the study aims to elucidate how the l iterati of the l ate Joseon dynasty adapted and practiced ritual systems in extreme circumstances where public duty (Gongrye) and private mourning (Sarye) collided, termed Byeongyusang.
Amidst the severe political turmoil following King Jeongjo's death in 1800, the 1801 diplomatic mission to Qing China was a highly political ritual to proclaim the legitimacy of the new regime. In this grave context, Shin Hyeon received the obituary on May 27 and made a strict ritual judgment balancing his filial duties and the rule of Bunsang in the Book of Rites (Liji). With the court's consideration allowing the deputy envoy to assume his duties, he embarked on his return journey ahead of the main envoy group. Despite the physical constraints of the journey, he struggled to implement minimal institutional rituals, such as Seongbok (wearing mourning clothes) and Naegwan Gachil (lacquering the inner coffin).
Based on the records in the third volume of his diary, Siljaeilseung, this paper focuses on how Shin Hyeon transformed the physical space of his return journey into a space for ritual practice by receiving condolences from local magistrates. Furthermore, it analyzes the phenomenon of "re-condolence" (Jaejomun), where mourners who had already visited the mortuary during his absence returned to see Shin Hyeon in person upon his arrival in Hanyang on June 7. This served as a crucial social mechanism to compensate for the ritual deficiency caused by the chief mourner's absence and to successfully restore moral legitimacy.
In conclusion, Shin Hyeon's case vividly demonstrates that ritual studies (Yehak) in the late Joseon period were not confined to rigid normative texts but were flexibly adapted (Byeontong) to ensure institutional stability and moral justification in the face of unexpected real-world dilemmas.