(92) Saju of Yi Seong-gye, founder of Joseon Kingdom
By Janet Shin
Korea has been called several different names in its history. Since Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom (2333 B.C.-108 B.C.), there have been the Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla eras, which were representative names of the nation.
The current official name, Korea, came from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), although North Korea uses the term Joseon, which was derived from the eponymous kingdom (1392-1910). The Japanese colonization of Korean in 1910 ended that era, however, and this year's centennial has left
the people thinking more about the concepts of independence, decency and self-reliance of the nation.
We will review some incidents that happened during the transition from the Goryeo to Joseon kingdoms by looking at the saju of Yi Seong-gye, the founder and first king of the latter.
If Buddhism was the established religion in Goryeo, Confucianism was the ruling principle in the Joseon era. As a result, people began to study and practice saju, and its academic grounds have solidified since then. Yi trusted saju more than most others and he relied on saju-tell
Jun 3, 2010