In the early Joseon Dynasty, Hanyang was surrounded by an earthen wall on the outside , and there were large gates on the east , west , south , and north . People at the time called the inside of the wall “ munan ” or “ seongan . ”
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[ Korean Today ] Dongdaemun’s signboard The appearance of ‘ Heunginjimun ‘ ( Photo provided by Naver Blog ) ⓐ Reporter Park Chan-du |
Interestingly, the four gates had curfews, and after a certain time at night, anyone without a pass could not pass through the gates . This was a measure to maintain order and security in the city .
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[ Korean Today ] Dongdaemun’s old appearance ( Data provided by : Dongdaemun-gu Office ) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan-du |
King Taejo Lee Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, moved the capital from Songak ( present-day Gaeseong ) , the capital of Goryeo, to Hanyang in 1394 , the third year of his reign . The following year, he drew up a plan to build a capital city, built a wall around Hanyang , and installed large gates in each of the four directions: east , west , south , and north .
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[ Korean Today ] Dongdaemun’s old appearance ( Data provided by : Dongdaemun-gu Office ) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan-du |
According to records from that time, construction of Dongdaemun began in January of the fifth year of King Taejo’s reign (1396 ) , but the earthen wall collapsed due to heavy rain in the summer . Later, on January 27 , 1397 ( the sixth year of King Taejo’s reign ) , King Taejo visited Dongdaemun in person to inspect the site of the Ongseong ( a small wall surrounding the castle to protect it ) . There is also a record that the king went to Dongdaemun again on April 28 of the same year to inspect the Ongseong . Based on this , it is estimated that construction of Dongdaemun’s Ongseong began in January and was completed in April .
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[ Korean Today ] Dongdaemun night view ( Photo courtesy of Jjaljini ) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan-doo |
During the Joseon Dynasty, the Confucian idea of the Five Constants (五常) was established as an important value . It consists of benevolence (仁), righteousness (義), propriety (禮), wisdom (智) , and trustworthiness (信) . The government at the time incorporated four of these virtues ( benevolence , righteousness , propriety , and wisdom ) into the names of each main gate .
Accordingly, the East Gate was named Heunginmun (興仁門), the West Gate Donuimun (敦義門), the South Gate Sungnyemun (崇禮門), and the North Gate Hongjimun (弘智門) . The character for faith (信) was reflected in the name of Bosin Pavilion (普信閣) , located in the center of Seoul .
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[ Korean Today ] Dongdaemun during the day ( Photo courtesy of blog angeljohan) ⓐ Reporter Park Chan-doo |
Dongdaemun ( Heunginmun ) was renamed ‘ Heunginjimun ‘ for a special reason . The topography of Seoul is balanced with mountains and highlands to the west , south , and north , but the east where Dongdaemun is located is low . To compensate for this balance, the character ‘ galji (之)’ was added to the name, and it became ‘ Heunginjimun ‘ .
Also , unlike other gates, the signboard of Heunginjimun was written in two horizontal lines to supplement the lack of energy . This is considered a unique case of applying the geomancy theory of the time .
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[ Korean Today ] Dongdaemun at night ( Photo courtesy of blog angeljohan) ⓐ Reporter Park Chan-doo |
The four gates of Hanyang and their names are a harmonious blend of Confucianism, geomancy , and urban management principles . The prohibition of passage , the Confucian meaning of the gate names , and the application of geomancy demonstrate cultural and ideological depths that go beyond simple fortress design . It is clear that the structure of the Joseon Dynasty capital was the result of meticulous planning and philosophical foundations .
( Data provided by : Dongdaemun-gu Office Culture and Tourism Division Culture and Arts Team )
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