In the royal architecture of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), names carried extraordinary significance.  They underlined the rulers’ political philosopy and ideology, and signified status.

The tradition of attaching signs to architectural structures is a popular cultural phenomenon in the so-called Chinese character zone in East Asia, dating back over 2000 years. The name boards and verse plaques on royal architecture of the Joseon Dynasty do not merely announce the functions and nature of the buildings, they are an agglomeration of holy teachings, verse, poetry, calligraphy, decoration and architectural art of those times. They are not only a symbol of social and cultural fashion, but also a way of expression of the ruling ideology philosophy of the Joseon dynasty, from which we can learn about the influence of Confucianism. The nominated documents are of great value for the study of history and architectural art, as well as the cultural exchanges among East Asian Countries in the Joseon Dynasty.

There are two documents which are the artifacts of collective actions undertaken by independent intellectuals of the Joseon period (1392-1910), to influence reforms in important state affairs toward ethical politics prescribed by Confucian ideology.

10,094 like-minded individuals signed the Ten Thousand People’s Petition for the Posthumous Enthronement of Crown Prince Sado, dated 1855, and the Ten Thousand People’s Petition against Dress Reform, dated 1884, bore the signatures of 8,849 persons. These two documents are early examples of a democratic process involving thousands of people and of the practical application of Confucian ethics to the sphere of government. In addition, they are the only surviving examples from seven mass campaigns of collective public action undertaken by Confucian intellectuals between the late 18th century and the early 19th century during the Joseon Dynasty.

The wooden plaques are hand carved and were hung at the centre of a traditional Korean building. The 550 unique plaques, cared for at the Advanced Center for Korean Studies (ACKS), were produced from the 16th century to the 20th century and entrusted to the Center’s care by clan families and Confucian academies. The industrialisation of Korea from 1960 has resulted in the disappearance of the traditional buildings on which wooden plaques were usually hung, and those that remained were at risk of damage or theft if left on the outside of buildings.

The inscriptions on the plaques are relevant to the different types of building on which they hung. Those on residential buildings were inscribed with ancestor’s moral values, those on memorial buildings commemorated ancestors learning and virtues, those on education buildings were inscribed with letters of educational ideology, and those on meditation rooms reflected the contemplative lives of virtuous scholars (seonbi).

The letters used are the artwork of kings, famous calligraphers, literary people and seonbi and form a distinctive calligraphic genre. Cultural exchanges between Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam over the period also had an impact on the calligraphies used on the plaques and they are representative of the styles of Eastern Asia as well as Korea.

The plaques represent the spiritual world, ideals and character of seonbi during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897) and reflect their moral world and values such as filial duty and passion for and confidence in academic learning. They incorporate the artistic values of calligraphy with the Confucian view of human spirituality.