The "Seven Palaces" refers to the seven private temples that have survived to this day during the Joseon Dynasty, which are dedicated to the gods and goddesses of several generations of kings or wang shizi. The seven shrines were not originally built together; in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the gods of various places moved to Iwai-dong, and the land on the original site was nationalized. What remains today is the ancestral hall after the relocation. They are: Chuqing Palace (Ren Concubine Jin), Da Concubine Palace (Xi Concubine Zhang), Yuxiang Palace (Shu Concubine Cui), Yanhu Palace (Jing Concubine Li), Xuanxi Palace (Concubine Li), Jingyou Palace (Sui Concubine Park), and De'an Palace (Pure Imperial Concubine Yan).
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Private relatives of the Lee Joseon dynasty were revered
South Korea's history has not been based on Chu Tzu-tung from the beginning. From Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla to the Goryeo period, matrilineal and patrilineal lines were equally important, kinship existed on both sides, and marriages within the same surname also occurred from time to time. During the Goryeo period, most of the kinship groups lived in the same place as the original lineage; within the local local surname groups, it was not uncommon for the phenomenon of intermarriage or "exchange marriage" between the same surname and the same family or the exchange of children.
In addition, it is quite common for men to enter the woman's family life after marriage (commonly known as the "son-in-law system" or "system of entering the family"), and there is no concept or system restriction on women's remarriage. In such kinship relations, there is no difference between concubines and wives and concubines, and there is no adopted son system or heir system established for the inheritance of the family.
In the Joseon Dynasty, because the concept of unification was rooted in Zhu Zixue, its ethical relationship greatly improved the patrilineal status; under such a kinship system, the most important thing was intermarriage. In order to establish a patrilineal family system, the inheritance of the same surname became particularly important, which led to the rapid emergence and consolidation of the adopted son system and the post-establishment system – the royal family was no exception.
At the same time, the issue of etiquette between the latter and his biological parents has arisen. In the Korean royal family, the biological parents of kings who are not concubines (sons of the heirs, sons of collateral, sons of concubines, etc.) are called private relatives; as such, the birth parents of princesses and concubines are also very important.
The core concepts and rituals of the Lee Joseon period about private relatives are taken from the "Funeral Rites" of The Chu Zi Family Ceremony Volume IV: "All men who are suitable for men and women who are suitable for others are demoted to the first class for their personal relatives." The same is true of private relatives. "A private relative is the biological parent of the latter or of the married person. The Funeral Rite stipulates that when the latter and the married person wear mourning clothes for private relatives, they need to be "demoted" (surrendered) compared to their adoptive parents and in-laws — in other words, the status of both the adoptive parents and the in-laws is higher than that of the biological parents.
Map of some of the gods and niches in the Seven Houses
As such, with the continuous penetration of Confucian culture, the ties of patrilineal blood families in Korean society gradually formed and strengthened. Until the middle of Korea, there was a phenomenon of equal continuity and reincarnation of children among children. However, with the generalization of the "half-parent system" (the system of weddings taking place in the woman's home, living in the woman's home for three days after marriage, but the woman must return to the man's home with her husband after three days), internal and external divisions began to appear within the family, that is, the difference between grandfather and maternal grandfather.
This distinction is reflected in sacrifices, where daughters and grandchildren begin to be excluded from the list of devotees, and in the continuum of property, there is also a distinction between men and women. Thus, the equal division continuum becomes a male-female continuum, and the reincarnation of children becomes the reincarnation of sons. Among them, reincarnation worship began to be converted to the eldest son as the main priest in the seventeenth century; because the sacrifice process required a lot of financial resources, the property continuum began to be correspondingly biased towards the eldest son, and the cultural phenomenon of the property continuum dominated by the eldest son and the ritual continuum dominated by the clan family appeared. This is embodied in the establishment of the "Article of Worship" (property separately designated separately in the distribution of successive property for permanent worship of ancestors): according to the "private and lowly" article of the Code of Punishment, volume 5 of the Canon of the Classics of the Kingdom, the weight-bearing son (the eldest son who inherits the family line) will receive one-fifth more on the basis of the equal division of the children. As a result, the people of the ancestral fields began to gather around the ancestral settlements of the clan family, and "tribes of the same ethnic group" began to appear more and more frequently.
For the royal family, under the influence of the above social culture, the issue of the etiquette of private relatives is particularly prominent in order to consolidate the orthodoxy of the royal power after the establishment or the king born in the harem. In the late Joseon Dynasty, kings often placed their private relatives on an equal footing with kings and princesses through ceremonial reverence; this reverence became a decisive factor in ensuring the legitimacy of the king's power, and it was also valued by the king— as exemplified by the 12-year-long 12-year posthumous ceremony of Emperor Yuanzong from 1623 to 1635.
The beginning and end of the ceremony of Emperor Yuanzong's posthumous worship
The ceremony was a debate within the Joseon court, mainly aimed at Injo's desire to posthumously honor his biological father Jeong won-jun as emperor Ofjong. In 1623, the Westerners of Korea staged a coup d'état and deposed Gwanghae-jun from the throne, while Ayyo-jun Lee (Injo) ascended to the throne, known in history as "Injo Anyway".
After Emperor Renzu ascended to the throne, he first had to ensure the legitimacy of the throne. In March of the same year, Princess Wang taught and said: "The present one strives for great righteousness, calms down the coma, gets rid of the humiliation, restores the title, makes the Lun Ji righteous, and the clan society is safe." Meritorious deeds, to which the gods and men belong, can be on the throne, after Xuanzu. (Records of Renzu Shilu, vol. 1, March of the first year of Renzu's reign) In the name of Wang Dafei, Renzu pointed out that after he came to power, "Lun Ji was righteous and the clan community was re-secured", which made "anyway" politically reasonable; but the legitimacy of his patriarchy could not be obtained. Renzu's biological father, Dingyuan Jun, was the son of Xuanzu, and Renzu's entry into the orthodoxy of Xuanzu as a grandson violated etiquette. According to the "Ceremonial Code" in volume III of the "Jingguo Canon", "Those who have no concubines and children, sue the officials, and set up the branch of the same sect as the queen, and (Zhongluo) honor the subordinates and brothers and grandchildren, and do not be the same as the queen", which is explicitly prohibited by the code.
Xuanzu, Yuanzong, and Renzu relationship diagram
Therefore, there are two opinions in the DPRK on the method of Renzu's entry into orthodoxy: the first is the theory of "direct inheritance of ancestral unity", which holds that the patriarchal system of the emperor has its particularity, and there is no need to follow the ceremony of the scholar, and the succession of the father can also directly inherit the ancestral lineage; the second is the theory of "succession of the temple", which emphasizes the universal applicability of the ritual law, negates the imperial patriarchy without the throne, and believes that the ancestors and the renzu should be posthumously revered before the lineage of the great unification can be corrected. Renzu preferred the latter.
This problem is embodied in the title of The Head of the Blessing when Renzu's relatives worship the private temple, because the title directly reflects the relationship between Renzu and his biological father, which in turn determines the legitimacy of Renzu. On the issue of titles, the courtiers and the public have their own opinions, and there are generally three: First, they believe that the kinship between the two should be recognized, called "Kao and Zi", and classify Dingyuanjun as a great unification; second, although the title of "Kao and Zi" is recognized, it is limited to the title of Tianlun and opposes the inclusion of Dingyuanjun in the unification; third, it is believed that since Renzu has already been admitted to the succession of the ancestors, his biological father should be demoted to a private relative and called uncle and nephew. Taking this as an opportunity, questions about Emperor Yuanzong's pursuit began to surface.
In 1624, the above controversy was once stranded because of the rebellion induced by the "anyway" hero Li Shi, but in 1626, Renzu's biological mother, Qiyun Gonggu Clan, once again caused controversy about its funeral system, and at the same time, the issue of previously ununified titles was raised, and the disagreement began to widen. Most of the courtiers believed: "Since shang has entered the throne, it should be surrendered to Bunsen, and it will be set as the period of non-staff." Renzu, on the other hand, insisted on serving the funeral for three years and setting the benchmark for the state funeral. The essence of the issue of mourning can still be traced back to whether Emperor Yuanzong was revered or not, as Cui Mingji said: "If you serve for three years in the Qiyun Palace, how can you inherit the reason of reunification and surrender its original obedience?" The desire of the courtiers is to be obedient, and it is his highness who has no father. (Records of Renzu Shilu, vol. 10, Renzu 3rd year, December 1999)
In the face of the two opposing opinions of the government and the opposition, Zhang Wei, who was then a judge, put forward the eclectic "Cane Anduu Theory": in principle, it is recognized that three years of mourning are recognized, but based on the actual situation, it is still necessary to surrender. There is no canonical basis for this claim, which has aroused the doubts of some Korean ministers. However, for Renzu, the three-year mourning service has been opposed, so the "cane and stick theory" is the best choice to maintain the three-year mourning form, so it is adopted. This decision also made the controversy between the Qunchen and the issue of Emperor Yuanzong's pursuit more intense.
Chuqing Palace real scene, inside the Anyuanzong's biological mother Ren Concubine Jin
In 1628, Renzu wanted to perform a personal sacrifice at the temple of the Kaiyun Gonggu clan, but was opposed by the three divisions (司谏院, 司宪府, and 弘bunkan). In March of that year, the ChengzhengYuan had a revelation: "After the funeral, the temple is not heavy in ceremonies, and the three divisions are stubborn, and the saint has always been firmly rejected. Please proceed from the public consultation of the three divisions to the canon. Renzu replied, "On the day of the ceremony, the three priests were silent; and to this day, they cling to their own opinions, so that they will not be able to make sacrifices and take advantage of the fact that there is no action." Not only is it extremely strange, but I really don't know what it means. The gifts that have been set must not be changed, and do not be bothered. (Records of Renzu Shilu, vol. XVIII, Rinzu 6th March) This made the contradictions and antagonisms between the king and the "anyway" heroes and the general group of courtiers completely open.
Two years later, Confucians from all over the world also joined the ceremonial controversy. During this period, the group of courtiers went up to countless places and tried their best to stop it, on the grounds that it was not in accordance with the law of etiquette and violated the patriarchal system. In order to cite this, the courtiers examined the "Ritual Rites" one after another, and pointed out that the imperial etiquette was different from that of the scholars, because it only attached importance to the orthodoxy of the throne, so those who inherited the throne were examined, and there was no need to consider the ethics of heaven and earth with their biological fathers. Renzu also has his own saying: "Although this is not in line with the ritual of the three generations, the future generations may have people who are revered." For the sake of the way of affection, not to cause great harm, then we should look at the knowledge of benevolence. And everyone is angry, and it is really strange. (Records of Renzu Shilu, vol. 24, 9th year of Renzu, May)
At this time, the vice-chancellor Cui Youxue made public a conversation with the Ming Dynasty Hubu Langzhong Song Xian when he traveled to China, in which Song Xian was positive about Emperor Yuanzong's posthumous admiration: "If the monarch has no successor, he is not suspected of two books." What harms righteousness in pursuit? I have the courtesy to say that I will take the exam from the back to prove its righteousness. (Records of Renzu Shilu, vol. 23, Renzu 8th December Pengshen) This is undoubtedly a great encouragement to Renzu. In February 1632, Emperor Renzu ordered the establishment of the Temple in the South Hall. Emperor Yuanzong was posthumously honored as king, and the Qiyun Gonggu clan was posthumously honored as Queen Renxian. In March 1635, with the relocation of the shrine to the Jongmyo Temple, the 12-year-long ceremony of the 12-year-long Ingjong Cult finally came to an end.
A place of personal worship - private temple
After Emperor Renzu successfully pursued Emperor Yuanzong, kings who were not concubines followed suit and pursued their private relatives to establish a sect. In addition, during the Joseon Dynasty, there were also cases of sacrifices to members of the royal family who were deposed, and the shrines were called private temples at this time - in terms of etiquette, although the prestige of these objects of worship was even higher than that of ordinary royal families, for various reasons, the gods could not enter the temple, so they needed to be placed separately.
Records of the shrines of the members of the royal family have appeared as early as the historical records of the early Joseon Dynasty. For example, during the period of Yanshan Jun in Joseon, Liubin insisted that Liubin have "the words of the book to establish the temple", discussing the issue of the posthumous pursuit of the concubine Yin Clan by Yanshan Jun's biological mother ("Diary of Yanshan Jun", vol. 18, Yanshan 2nd year October Jiashu). It can be seen that kings born from both the sons of deposed concubines and non-concubines will set up a separate shrine after they ascend to the throne, but the management of the shrine still needs to be carried out at the national level.
The construction of private temples can be newly established by the royal family, or the old ancestral shrine can be used- the private temple of Xuanzu's posthumous father Dexing Dayuanjun is an example. The Records of xuanzu records: "Although the private temple of the Emperor of The Great Plains is different from the Zongmiao Temple, it is better than the battle of the horse and the marriage and family camp, is it not less than the soil of xiaoxiao?" The old foundation of the zong family, if a shrine is established first, it can be used as a place for proper spirits. (Records of Xuanzu Shilu, vol. 187, Xuanzu 38 May Noon) However, if it is only a family temple, the occurrence of mismanagement is only a problem within the family; if it becomes a private temple, such problems are related to the loyalty and filial piety of the king and need to be dealt with from the height of the state. If an unexpected situation occurs at the site of the private temple, it is necessary to remove him. For example, the private temple of Guang Haijun's mother Gong Concubine Jin was once moved elsewhere due to the Nongchen War; its original site is no longer available, and it is located in the old palace of Lianchidong after it was moved. Its related projects were carried out at the national level, and after completion, there were various great rewards: "The official Junhao, Jin Yanhai, etc., in the second knowledge, gave a mature horse; the superintendent Huang Youji, liupin transfer; the other supervisor Zhao Xiheng, the si gong to be expelled; the scrivener Zheng Xiang, exempted from the lowly; Ku Zhi below, so that the division was divided into its bitter rest, and the inscription was given to Mibu." ("Diary of Guanghai Jun", vol. 7, Guanghai is the eighth month of the year of his reign)
Judging from the existing private temple structure, all of them are herringbone roofs, a total of three rooms, and their shrines are enshrined with the ritual guards of the god lord and the king. The lord of the gods sits in the west and looks east, and the sacrifices are held at the spring equinox, autumn equinox, summer solstice, winter solstice, the first day of the first lunar month, cold food, dragon boat festival, and mid-autumn festival, and are divided into pro-line (the king himself sacrifices) and regents (the minister of the world is the minister of the world to enjoy the sacrifices); the types of sacrifices are different from the great festivals of the Zongmiao Temple, and are closer to the tea ceremony in the Xuanyuan Hall.
Similarly, the number of private royal temples increased as the king pursued his personal relatives. Generally speaking, the place where the burial is buried is called the tomb, and the place where the god worships is called the temple. In 1724, Yingzu ascended the throne, and the following year, the Shu Concubine Temple was built at the foot of Beiyue Mountain, northwest of Gyeongbokgung Palace, to honor his birth mother Shu Concubine Cui, and in 1753, the Shu Concubine Temple was upgraded to Yuxiang Palace, and the Zhaoning Tomb where Shu Concubine was buried was renamed Zhaoning Garden. In this way, the original "temple tomb system" was upgraded to the "palace garden system"; later private temples imitated this system and named after the "palace", which led to the later "seven palaces".
Yuxiang Palace room real scene