16세기 조선의 단지(斷指) 확산과 양분화된 평가 정착 = The Spread of Finger-Severing (Danjji) andthe Bifurcation of Its Evaluationin Sixteenth-Century Joseon

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study analyzes the spread of finger-severing (danjji) as a form of filial piety in sixteenth-century Joseon and the subsequent bifurcation of its evaluation along class lines. Danjji, which originated among commoners in Pyeongan Province during the reign of King Taejong, initially functioned as a folk medical practice for treating mental illness (gwangjil). However, in the sixteenth century, this practice expanded both geographically—to Hanseong and Gyeonggi—and socially—to the yangban elite. This upward diffusion became possible within a political environment that emphasized moral governance following King Seongjong’s reign, particularly through the activation of the recommendation system for filially pious individuals. As an immediate and verifiable form of filial piety, danjji became an important pathway to official appointment. Yet this expansion and institutionalization simultaneously provoked criticism. During King Jungjong’s reign, the Office of Special Advisors (Hongmungwan) criticized danjji as an “extreme conduct in extraordinary circumstances” rather than part of everyday moral practice, and a growing consensus emerged that sustained filial conduct was more important than momentary acts. Consequently, by the late sixteenth century, evaluations of danjji diverged along class lines:among the yangban, it was suspected as pursuit of fame, while among commoners, it was recognized as an expression of genuine devotion. This reveals the complex process of cultural formation in Joseon, wherein a single practice acquired different meanings across social strata during its dissemination.