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Joseon missions to Imperial China were Joseon diplomatic ventures which were intermittently sent in the years 1392-1894. These represent a significant aspect of the international relations of mutual Korean-Chinese contacts and communication.<br/><br/> Although the Joseon Dynasty considered 1392 as the foundation of the Joseon Kingdom, Imperial China did not immediately acknowledge the new government on the Korean peninsula. In 1401, the Ming court recognized Joseon as a tributary state in its sino-centric schema of foreign relations. In 1403, the Yung-lo emperor conveyed a patent and a gold seal to Taejong of Joseon, thus confirming his status and that of his dynasty.<br/><br/> Despite the label 'tributary state', China did not interfere in Joseon domestic affairs and diplomacy.
In 1592, on the command of Japanese Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, approximately 200,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Korea, and the Waeran (Japanese War) began. At the beginning of the invasion, King Seonjo fled the capital, leaving a weak, poorly trained army to defend the country. In desperation he called on Seosan to organise monks into guerilla units. Even at 73 years of age he managed to recruit and deploy some 5,000 of these warrior monks, who enjoyed some instrumental successes.<br/><br/> At first, the government armies of Joseon suffered repeated defeats, and the Japanese armies marched north up to Pyongyang and the Hamgyong provinces. At sea, however, the Joseon navy, under the command of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, enjoyed successive victories. Throughout the country, loyal volunteer armies formed and fought against the Japanese together with the warrior monks and the government armies of Joseon.<br/><br/> The presence of Seosan's monks' army, operating out of the Heungguksa temple deep in the mountain of Yeongchwisan, was a critical factor in the eventual expulsion of the Japanese invaders in 1593 and again in 1598.
Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 1820–1898) or The Daewongun (대원군), Guktaegong (국태공, ‘The Great Archduke’), also known to period western diplomats as Prince Gung, was the title of Li Ha-eung, regent of Joseon during the minority of King Gojong in the 1860s and until his death a key political figure of late Joseon Korea.<br/><br/> Daewongun literally translates as 'prince of the great court', a title customarily granted to the father of the reigning monarch when that father did not reign himself (usually because his son had been adopted as heir of a relative who did reign). While there had been three other Daewongun during the Joseon Dynasty, so dominant a place did Yi Ha-eung have in the history of the late Joseon dynasty that the term Daewongun usually refers specifically to him.<br/><br/> The Daewongun is remembered for the wide-ranging reforms he attempted during his regency, as well as for his vigorous enforcement of the seclusion policy, persecution of Christians, and the killing or driving off of foreigners who landed on Korean soil.
Gang Se-hwang was a high government official as well as a painter, calligrapher and art critic of the mid-Joseon period.<br/><br/> He was born in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, the son of Kang Hyeon. He entered royal service when more than sixty years old. Gang established and practised the 'munhwa' style of painting.
Gang Se-hwang was a high government official as well as a painter, calligrapher and art critic of the mid-Joseon period.<br/><br/> He was born in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, the son of Kang Hyeon. He entered royal service when more than sixty years old. Gang established and practised the 'munhwa' style of painting.
In 1592, on the command of Japanese Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, approximately 200,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Korea, and the Waeran (Japanese War) began. At the beginning of the invasion, King Seonjo fled the capital, leaving a weak, poorly trained army to defend the country. In desperation he called on Seosan to organise monks into guerilla units. Even at 73 years of age he managed to recruit and deploy some 5,000 of these warrior monks, who enjoyed some instrumental successes.<br/><br/> At first, the government armies of Joseon suffered repeated defeats, and the Japanese armies marched north up to Pyongyang and the Hamgyong provinces. At sea, however, the Joseon navy, under the command of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, enjoyed successive victories. Throughout the country, loyal volunteer armies formed and fought against the Japanese together with the warrior monks and the government armies of Joseon.<br/><br/> The presence of Seosan's monks' army, operating out of the Heungguksa temple deep in the mountain of Yeongchwisan, was a critical factor in the eventual expulsion of the Japanese invaders in 1593 and again in 1598.
Little is known about Shim Deuk-gyeong (1629-1710) except that he passed the lower civil service examination in 1693, the 19th year of King Sukjong. In this portrait he is wearing a Confucian scholar's overcoat and a tiered black horsehair hat and seated on a stool, in a three-quarter view from left.<br/><br/> The two colophons, both composed by Yi Seo (1662-1723), reveal that the portrait was painted by Yun Du-seo (1668-1715) in the 11th month of 1710, the 36th year of Sukjong, four months after Shim's death.
Joseon (July 1392 – October 1897) (also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul and the kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers (through the subjugation of the Jurchens). Joseon was the last royal and later imperial dynasty of Korean history. It was the longest ruling Confucian dynasty. During its reign, Joseon consolidated its absolute rule over Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring Japanese and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to the kingdom becoming a Qing tributary state in 1636 and to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace. However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century. The Joseon's rule has left a substantial legacy on the modern face of Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and even the modern Korean language and its dialects stem from the traditional thought pattern that originated from this period.
Gang Se-hwang (1713–1791) was not only a high government official but also a painter, calligrapher and art critic of the mid-Joseon period.<br/><br/> He was born in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, the son of Kang Hyeon. He entered royal service when more than sixty years old. Gang established and practised the 'munhwa' style of painting.
Generally the history of Korean painting is dated to approximately 108 C.E., when it first appears as an independent form. Between that time and the paintings and frescoes that appear on the Goryeo dynasty tombs, there has been little research. Suffice to say that until the Joseon dynasty the primary influence was Chinese painting though done with Korean landscapes, facial features, Buddhist topics, and an emphasis on celestial observation in keeping with the rapid development of Korean astronomy.<br/><br/> Throughout the history of Korean painting, there has been a constant separation of monochromatic works of black brushwork on very often mulberry paper or silk; and the colourful folk art or min-hwa, ritual arts, tomb paintings, and festival arts which had extensive use of colour.<br/><br/> This distinction was often class-based: scholars, particularly in Confucian art felt that one could see colour in monochromatic paintings within the gradations and felt that the actual use of colour coarsened the paintings, and restricted the imagination. Korean folk art, and painting of architectural frames was seen as brightening certain outside wood frames, and again within the tradition of Chinese architecture, and the early Buddhist influences of profuse rich thalo and primary colours inspired by Art of India.
Yi Chae was a scholar who lived in late Joseon. This shows him at the age of 59. He is donning a black hat known as <i>dongpagwan</i> and a <i>simui</i>, a white scholar’s jacket. The white jacket has a collar in a contrasting black band. A large sash woven with threads in five colors, representing the four cardinal directions and the center, drapes down from the mid-chest level.
Park Yeon (박연, 朴堧) was born in 1378 into a family of Yeongdong officials. As a talented classical musician, he was responsible for the education of the crown prince Sejong the Great, subsequently reviving and renewing Joseon court music between 1424-1433.
Yun Du-seo (1668–1715) was a painter and scholar of the Joseon period. He is the grandson of Yun Seondo, a great scholar in Korean history. He passed the gwageo exam, but did not enter government service.<br/><br/>He devoted his whole life to painting and studying Confucianism. His self-portrait is regarded as one of the many masterpieces of Korean art. Yun Duseo is also known for his yeongmohwa (animal-and-bird painting).<br/><br/>This painting is designated as the 240th National Treasure of Korea.
Joseon (Korean: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮; also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun, Cho-sen), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries, from July 1392 to October 1897. It was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Dynasty in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers through the subjugation of the Jurchens. Joseon was the last dynasty of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.<br/><br/>During its reign, Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring states of Japan and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After the end of invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.<br/><br/>However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century.<br/><br/>The Joseon period has left a substantial legacy to modern Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and the modern Korean language and its dialects derive from the culture and traditions of Joseon.
Sejong the Great (May 15, 1397 – April 8, 1450, r. 1418–1450) was the fourth king of Joseon. He was the third son between King Taejong and Queen-Consort Min. He was designated as heir-apparent, Grand Prince, after his older brother Jae was stripped of his title. He ascended to the throne in 1418.<br/><br/>Sejong reinforced Confucian policies and instituted major legal amendments (공법; 貢法). He also oversaw the creation of Hangul script, encouraged advancements of scientific technology, and instituted many other efforts to stabilize and improve prosperity. He dispatched military campaigns to the north and installed Samin Policy (사민정책; 徙民政策) to attract new settlers to the region. To the south, he subjugated Japanese raiders and captured Tsushima Island.<br/><br/>During his reign from 1418 to 1450, he governed from 1418 to 1442 and governed as regent with his son Grand Prince MoonJong until his death in either 1442 or 1450
Joseon (Korean: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮; also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun, Cho-sen), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries, from July 1392 to October 1897. It was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Dynasty in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers through the subjugation of the Jurchens. Joseon was the last dynasty of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.<br/><br/>During its reign, Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring states of Japan and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After the end of invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.<br/><br/>However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century.<br/><br/>The Joseon period has left a substantial legacy to modern Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and the modern Korean language and its dialects derive from the culture and traditions of Joseon.
Kang Yi-o (1788-?), who used the pen name Yaksan, was a grandson of the famous scholar-painter Kang Se-hwang. In this half-length, full-frontal portrait, he is depicted wearing an official's everyday pink robe (sibok) and a black silk hat.<br/><br/> The colophon at top, praising the subject's wise appearance and the realistic likeness of the picture, was written by the famous calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui.
Korean academic Sin-Ui Yi (이신의, 李愼儀) was a mid-Joseon academic thinker and Confucian scholar.
Joseon missions to Imperial China were Joseon diplomatic ventures which were intermittently sent in the years 1392-1894. These represent a significant aspect of the international relations of mutual Korean-Chinese contacts and communication.<br/><br/> Although the Joseon Dynasty considered 1392 as the foundation of the Joseon Kingdom, Imperial China did not immediately acknowledge the new government on the Korean peninsula. In 1401, the Ming court recognized Joseon as a tributary state in its sino-centric schema of foreign relations. In 1403, the Yung-lo emperor conveyed a patent and a gold seal to Taejong of Joseon, thus confirming his status and that of his dynasty.<br/><br/> Despite the label 'tributary state', China did not interfere in Joseon domestic affairs and diplomacy.
Joseon (Korean: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮; also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun, Cho-sen), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries, from July 1392 to October 1897. It was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Dynasty in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers through the subjugation of the Jurchens. Joseon was the last dynasty of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.<br/><br/>During its reign, Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring states of Japan and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After the end of invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.<br/><br/>However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century.<br/><br/>The Joseon period has left a substantial legacy to modern Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and the modern Korean language and its dialects derive from the culture and traditions of Joseon.
Joseon (Korean: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮; also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun, Cho-sen), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries, from July 1392 to October 1897. It was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Dynasty in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers through the subjugation of the Jurchens. Joseon was the last dynasty of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.<br/><br/> During its reign, Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring states of Japan and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After the end of invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.<br/><br/> However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century.<br/><br/> The Joseon period has left a substantial legacy to modern Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and the modern Korean language and its dialects derive from the culture and traditions of Joseon.
Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 1820–1898) or The Daewongun (대원군), Guktaegong (국태공, ‘The Great Archduke’), also known to period western diplomats as Prince Gung, was the title of Li Ha-eung, regent of Joseon during the minority of King Gojong in the 1860s and until his death a key political figure of late Joseon Korea.<br/><br/> Daewongun literally translates as 'prince of the great court', a title customarily granted to the father of the reigning monarch when that father did not reign himself (usually because his son had been adopted as heir of a relative who did reign). While there had been three other Daewongun during the Joseon Dynasty, so dominant a place did Yi Ha-eung have in the history of the late Joseon dynasty that the term Daewongun usually refers specifically to him.<br/><br/> The Daewongun is remembered for the wide-ranging reforms he attempted during his regency, as well as for his vigorous enforcement of the seclusion policy, persecution of Christians, and the killing or driving off of foreigners who landed on Korean soil.
O Jae-sun (1727-1792) was an erudite scholar who served in high government posts during the reign of King Jeongjo. He headed the Office of the Inspector-General (Saheonbu), Office of Special Advisors (Hongmungwan) and the Royal Secretariat (Jungchubu), among other posts.<br/><br/> This portrait was painted by Yi Myeong-gi when O Jae-sun was 65 years old
This is a portrait of Hwang Hyeon (1855-1910), a scholar and patriot toward the end of the Joseon period, produced by Chae Yong-sin (1850-1941).<br/><br/> Chae painted the portrait in May 1911, a year after Hwang's death, based on the photograph but changing the costume and pose. Hwang is portrayed wearing a Confucian scholar's overcoat (simeui) and a tiered black horsehair hat, sitting on a decorative mat and holding a book and a fan in his hands.
Chae Jegong (蔡濟恭, 채제공, 1720-1799) was a Chosun dynasty literati bureaucrat. He was of the Pyeonggang Chae Clan (平康菜氏, 평강채씨); his courtesy name (字, 자) was Baekgyu (伯規, 백규); his pen name (號, 호) was Beon’am (樊巖, 번암); and his posthumous name (諡, 시) was Munsuk (文肅, 문숙).<br/><br/> He passed the regional civil examination (鄕試, 향시) at the age of 15, and held high government offices throughout his life.
Chae Jegong (蔡濟恭, 채제공, 1720-1799) was a Chosun dynasty literati bureaucrat. He was of the Pyeonggang Chae Clan (平康菜氏, 평강채씨); his courtesy name (字, 자) was Baekgyu (伯規, 백규); his pen name (號, 호) was Beon’am (樊巖, 번암); and his posthumous name (諡, 시) was Munsuk (文肅, 문숙).<br/><br/> He passed the regional civil examination (鄕試, 향시) at the age of 15, and held high government offices throughout his life.
Kim Si-seup's ancestors originally came from Gangneung, Gangwon-do, but Kim himself was born in Seoul.<br/><br/> Throughout his life, Kim Si-seup (김시습) maintained a special bond with the Gangwon area and compiled a book of poetry called Tangyugwandongnok which was based on family history and experiences he had in the area. Kim was an extremely gifted child and had picked up reading ability at eight months of age. At five years of age, he was able to read and comprehend 'The Great Learning' and the 'Doctrine of the Mean'. Kim was a devout Buddhist and at twenty-one years of age he decided to leave government service and become a priest.
Chae Jegong (蔡濟恭, 채제공, 1720-1799) was a Chosun dynasty literati bureaucrat. He was of the Pyeonggang Chae Clan (平康菜氏, 평강채씨); his courtesy name (字, 자) was Baekgyu (伯規, 백규); his pen name (號, 호) was Beon’am (樊巖, 번암); and his posthumous name (諡, 시) was Munsuk (文肅, 문숙).<br/><br/> He passed the regional civil examination (鄕試, 향시) at the age of 15, and held high government offices throughout his life.
Yi Chae was a scholar who lived in late Joseon. This shows him at the age of 59. He is donning a black hat known as <i>dongpagwan</i> and a <i>simui</i>, a white scholar’s jacket. The white jacket has a collar in a contrasting black band. A large sash woven with threads in five colors, representing the four cardinal directions and the center, drapes down from the mid-chest level.<br/><br/>The eyes staring straight ahead are meticulously depicted with great detail. As the eyes were increasingly regarded as the windows to the moral universe of the subject, they were a focal point of portraits from the late Joseon.<br/><br/>This painting is designated as the 1483rd National Treasure of Korea.
Nam Gu-man (1629-1711) served as rector of the National Confucian Academy and minister of punishments.<br/><br/> In 1683 when the Westerners (Seoin) faction split into the Old Doctrine (Noron) and the Young Doctrine (Soron), he led the latter group.
Yi Gwang-sa was one of the leading calligraphers of the Joseon period. He created a calligraphy style, called the 'Wongyo style' after his pen name, in an effort to establish an independent Korean style.<br/><br/> The colophon at top right reveals the portrait was painted in 1775, when Yi was 70 years old, by court painter Shin Han-pyeong, father of the famous genre painter Shin Yun-bok.
The Portrait of Cho Brothers (赵氏 三 兄弟 肖像) , Jongno-gu, Seoul , National Folk Museum is a portrait of the Joseon Dynasty era.<br/><br/> It was designated Korean National Treasure No. 1478 in 2006.