[KS] re:Independence Gate

[Andrei Lankov]

Dear list,

Actually, all Seoul gates had official ornate names
which were seldom used in everyday discourse (now
there are attempts to re-introduce these official
names). The city gates were known by the four cardinal
directions instead. The North Gate was an exception,
since it was much more commonly referred to as
SukjOngmun if it was referred to at all, since it did
not had any practical function. The gate existed from
the very beginning, but remained closed from the early
15th century (from 1413, more presicely) because of
the ¡®feng-shui¡¯ problems. Now we can see a restored
version of 1975-1976 when parts of the city was were
essentially re-built.



--- Henny Savenije <adam_eve at henny-savenije.pe.kr>
wrote:

> At 07:07 12/11/2004, you wrote:
> >List,
> >
> >Re: Pukdaemun
> >
> >It's simple: There was no Pukdaemun in Korea
> because there had never been 
> >a Baidamen (North Gate)in China.
> 
> I have to correct myself. I heard from Koreans that
> the king could not be 
> approached from the back and his throne was facing
> south, therefore there 
> was no north gate, but I have a book in front of me
> published by the Seoul 
> Museum of history (no title) and there are several
> old maps of Seoul 
> reprinted there and all of them have four main gates
> and four smaller 
> gates. So the Pukdaemun did exist.
> 
> According to this book, "one of the important
> aspects of mapmaking in the 
> later Joseon period was the development of the
> Gunhyeon jido showing the 
> bu, mok, gun, hyein and other administrative units"
> "entrance into the city 
> was only allowed through the four main gates"
> 
> 
> Henny (Lee Hae Kang)
> -----------------------------
> http://www.henny-savenije.pe.kr Portal to all my
> sites
> http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr (in
> English) Feel free to 
> discover Korea with Hendrick Hamel (1653-1666)
>
http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr/indexk2.htm
> In Korean
> http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr/Dutch
> In Dutch
> http://www.vos.henny-savenije.pe.kr Frits Vos
> Article about Witsen and 
> Eibokken and his first Korean-Dutch dictionary
> http://www.cartography.henny-savenije.pe.kr (in
> English) Korea through 
> Western Cartographic eyes
> http://www.hwasong.henny-savenije.pe.kr Hwasong the
> fortress in Suwon
> http://www.oldKorea.henny-savenije.pe.kr Old Korea
> in pictures
> http://www.british.henny-savenije.pe.kr A British
> encounter in Pusan (1797)
> http://www.genealogy.henny-savenije.pe.kr Genealogy
> http://www.henny-savenije.pe.kr/bboard Bulletin
> board for Korean studies
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 


=====
Dr.Andrei Lankov,
China and Korea Centre,
Faculty of Asian Studies,
Australian National University