Soswaewon with a long history of 500 years is the place which has many cultural sources. This place can be said to be representative of Korean garden from the side of architecture and contents. That is, it has a distinctive feature of Korean garden, m...
Soswaewon with a long history of 500 years is the place which has many cultural sources. This place can be said to be representative of Korean garden from the side of architecture and contents. That is, it has a distinctive feature of Korean garden, moreover humanities activities which was done in this place also was a standard of Korean garden culture. By studying this place, therefore, it can be possible to find out characteristic of Korean garden.
It is important to watch out the fact which descendants, as well as the first builder, has made an effort to keep this place. Because, I think, Soswaewon still remains by their effort to keep it. Then, I studied the activity of the first builder and his descendants, dividing it into four periods, from literary, historical and philosophical point of view in this thesis.
Firstly, I researched what the building or gardening of Soswaewon had thoughts through all of periods, and how this thoughts was changed over time. A scene of early Soswaewon has remained systematically in <Soswaewon 48 Poems>(瀟灑園48詠), so it is easy to know comparatively it. In the next period <Soswaewon 30 Poems>(瀟灑園30詠) was created. It, then, is possible to understand how a form and category of series of verses has been changed over time by studying it. Studying this two series of verses, it's possible to know that thoughts included in Korean garden has been changed a little or deeply by the situation of era. Also, though <Soswaewon-Do>(瀟灑園圖) was drawn later, it wholly has an appearance of early Soswaewon. Then by comparing it with series of verses, it's possible to understand how a form of Korean garden has been completed by which course of changes. It's known that Korean garden mainly include not only thoughts of Do-Hak(道學) but also thoughts of Eun-Il(隱逸). Furthermore, it also has thoughts of Sin-Seon(神仙) by wanting to go to the ideal world.
On the other side, this thesis also show that Soswaewon with a long history has played a which role to a local community. After Soswaewon was built near the Moodeung mountain, it became a meeting place which many people came to meet each other and discuss their opinion. So, it continuously leaded public opinion and a local culture as a center of culture.
And besides this, there are many writings created in a long time in Soswaewon, so it's possible to deduce a feature of garden literature from these. Literary activities in Soswaewon which the owner and neighbors etc. was together has been kept without break for generations. That is, people who took part in creating literatures of Soswaewon many more than in other places. By researching these literature, therefore, it can be also known what features of Korean garden literature and the course of changes is.
Persons who came and went to Soswaewon almost were relatives or were connected with learning relationship. These people also affected a local community with shaping personal working. Besides this, there also was a case which a government official newly appointed near city and a touring Confucianist visited Soswaewon. It means that Soswaewon placed in the center of culture.
As mentioned above, to study the various human activities which was played in Soswaewon is to become a way to know a movement of a local culture and also to understand a feature of garden culture. It can be known that Soswaewon is a standard in historical, philosophical and literary meanings.