Yi I

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This article is about the 16th century Korean scholar. For the DDG 992 Yulgok Yi I ship, see ROKS Yulgok Yi I (DDG-992).
"I I" redirects here. For other uses, see II (disambiguation).
In this
Yi
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Yi I
Korean name
Hangul
이이
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI I
McCune–ReischauerYi I
Art name
Hangul
율곡
Hanja
Revised RomanizationYulgok
McCune–ReischauerYulgok
Courtesy name
Hangul
숙헌
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSukheon
McCune–ReischauerSukhŏn

Yi I (Korean: 이이; Hanja: 李珥;[1] 1536–1584) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon period.[2] Yi is often referred to by his art name Yulgok ("Chestnut valley"). He was also a politician[3] and was the academical successor of Jo Gwang-jo.

Biography

Yi was born in

Gangwon Province in 1536 into the Deoksu Yi clan [ko]. His father was a Fourth State Councillor (좌찬성; jwachanseong) Yi Won-su, and his mother, Shin Saimdang, was an accomplished artist and calligrapher. He was the grandnephew of Yi Gi, prime minister from 1549 to 1551.[citation needed
]

In his early years, he was a student of

Kumgang-san following his mother's death when he was 16 and stayed for 3 years, studying Buddhism. He left the mountains at 20 and devoted himself to studying Confucianism.[4][5]

He married at 22, and visited

Ming Dynasty as seojanggwan (서장관; 書狀官; lit. document officer) in 1568. He also participated in the writing of the Myeongjong Annals and at 34, authored Dongho Mundap, an eleven-article political memorial devoted to clarifying his conviction that a righteous government could be achieved.[7]

Due to his vast experience in different offices over the years, Yi was able to garner a wide vision of politics and with the deep trust of the king, became one of the central figures of politics by the time he was 40. His many documents and theses were presented to the royal court but when political conflicts escalated in 1576, his efforts proved fruitless and he returned home. Following his return, he devoted his time to studies and education of his disciples and authored several books.[3]

He returned to office at 45 and while holding various minister positions, produced many writings which recorded crucial political events and showed his efforts to ease the political conflicts that were rampant at that time. However, King Seonjo was noncommittal in his attitude and it became difficult for Yi to remain in a neutral position in the conflicts. He left office in 1583 and died the following year.[3]

According to legend, he had a pavilion built near the ford of the Imjin River in his lifetime and instructed his heirs to set it ablaze when the king had to flee northward from Seoul, to provide a guiding beacon. This took place during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea at the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598).[8]

Teachings

Yi was not only known as a philosopher but also as a social reformer. He did not completely agree with the dualistic Neo-Confucianism teachings followed by Yi Hwang. His school of Neo-Confucianism placed emphasis on the more concrete, material elements; rather than inner spiritual perception, this practical and pragmatic approach valued external experience and learning.[9] Unlike Yi Hwang, who suffered through tumultuous times and did not enjoy being in politics, Yi was an active official who thought it important to implement Confucian values and principles to government administration. He emphasized sage learning and self-cultivation as the base of proper administration.[4][5]

Yi is also well known for his foresight about national security. He proposed to draft and reinforce the army against a possible Japanese attack. His proposal was rejected by the central government. He died afterwards, before the start of the Imjin war.[5]

Selected works

These are some of Yi's published writings:[10]

  • Questions and Answers at East Lake (동호문답; 東湖問答) - Eleven articles about political reform.[7]
  • Memorial in Ten Thousand Words (만언봉사; 萬言封事) - Suggestions about Confucian learning, self-cultivation, and application to government administration.[11]
  • The Essentials of the Studies of the Sages (성학집요; 聖學輯要) - Fundamentals of Confucian ethics, self-cultivation and statecraft.[12]
  • The Secret of Expelling Ignorance (격몽요결; 擊蒙要訣) - Systematic guide of learning.[13]
  • Daily Records of Lectures before the Throne (경연일기; 經筵日記) - Record of political events and happenings.[14]
  • The Complete Works of Yulgok (율곡전서; 栗谷全書) was compiled after his death on the basis of the writings he bequeathed.[15]

Legacy

Yi on the currently circulating 5,000 won note

Yulgongno, a street in central Seoul, is named after him,

Yul-Gok was also named in his honor. This is the pattern required to advance from 5th Kup Green Belt with Blue Tag to 4th Kup Blue Belt. The 38 movements of this pattern refer to his birthplace on the 38th degree latitude.[18] The "Yulgok Project", a modernization project for the South Korean military, is named after him as well.[19]

Family

Popular culture

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Joya hoetong". Jangseogak Royal Archives. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  2. ^ Daehwan, Noh. "The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century," Archived June 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Korea Journal. Winter 2003.
  3. ^ a b c d (in Korean) Yi I at Doosan Encyclopedia
  4. ^ a b (in Korean) Yi I at The Academy of Korean Studies
  5. ^ a b c (in Korean) [1] Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
  6. ISBN 89-5645-087-0
  7. ^ a b (in Korean) Dongho Mundap at Doosan Encyclopedia
  8. ISBN 89-8435-143-1
  9. ISBN 89-88095-85-5
  10. ^ "WorldCat Identities". www.oclc.org. 20 January 2022.
  11. ^ (in Korean) Maneon Bongsa at Doosan Encyclopedia
  12. ^ (in Korean) Seonhak Jibyo at Doosan Encyclopedia
  13. ^ (in Korean) Gyeokmong Yogyel at Doosan Encyclopedia
  14. ^ (in Korean) Gyeongyeon Ilgi at Doosan Encyclopedia
  15. ^ (in Korean) Yulgok Jeonseo at Doosan Encyclopedia
  16. ^ (in Korean) Yulgongno at Doosan Encyclopedia
  17. ^ (in Korean) Money bill designs at Naver dictionary
  18. ^ "Yulgok Taekwondo pattern". Archived from the original on 2010-06-02.
  19. ISBN 89-7778-156-6
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References

External links
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