Gongsin Rank 5 Achiever Yi Hang-bok, The Source of His Steadfast Integrity...

National Museum of Korea Hosts Exhibition 'Statesmen Bearing the Era: Baeksa Yi Hang-bok Family Donation'
Featuring 'Yi Hang-bok's Royal Merit Deed', 'Portrait of Yi Hang-bok, Royal Merit Official', and 'Thousand Character Classic' on Display

Portrait of Yi Hang-bok, Merit Subject of Hoseong

King Seonjo of Joseon bestowed the title of ‘Hoseonggongshin (扈聖功臣)’ upon the officials who protected him all the way to Uiju during the Imjin War. The title was awarded in three ranks. Yi Hang-bok and Jeong Gon-su were listed in the first rank. King Seonjo granted them and their parents and spouses three additional official ranks each. Additionally, he gave them ten royal guards (bandang), thirteen slaves, seven government slaves, 150 gyeol of farmland, 10 nyang of silver, and one royal horse (a horse raised for the king’s use).

The only existing first-rank Hoseonggongshin royal decree, the ‘Yi Hang-bok Hoseonggongshin Royal Decree,’ along with other materials related to Yi Hang-bok, will be publicly exhibited. The National Museum of Korea announced on the 6th that it will hold the exhibition “Prime Minister Bearing the Era: Donation Exhibition of the Baeksa Yi Hang-bok Family” in the Calligraphy and Painting Room on the second floor of the permanent exhibition hall until September 13. The exhibition highlights the life of Yi Hang-bok (1556?1618), who made great contributions to overcoming the Imjin War.

Ihangbok Hoseonggongsin Gyoseo

Yi Hang-bok passed the state examination at the age of twenty-five and began his official career. When the Imjin War broke out at the age of thirty-seven, he served as Dosungji (Vice Chief State Councillor) and escorted King Seonjo during his flight. He served as Minister of War and demonstrated excellent capabilities in military administration. Notably, he advocated for requesting aid from the Ming dynasty, contributing to turning the tide of the war. During the Jeongyu War, when Ming official Jeong Eung-tae falsely accused Joseon of colluding with Japan, Yi personally went to Beijing to clarify the matter, also working diligently in diplomacy. Recognized for his achievements, he was honored five times as a meritorious subject, including first-rank Hoseonggongshin (1604) and first-rank Wiseonggongshin (1613).

This exhibition showcases seventeen items donated last November by Lee Geun-hyung, the 15th-generation head of the Baeksa branch of the Gyeongju Yi clan, along with twelve items from the National Museum of Korea’s collection. A museum official said, “Yi Hang-bok was a true prime minister who prioritized the nation’s security by overcoming the national crisis of the Imjin War and opposing the movement to depose Queen Inmok. With the addition of the family donations, visitors can comprehensively explore his political role, personal life, literary world, and posthumous evaluations.”

Ihangbokpil Cheonjamun

The most eye-catching donated item is the ‘Yi Hang-bok Hoseonggongshin Royal Decree,’ the only surviving first-rank Hoseonggongshin royal decree. The calligraphy was done by Seokbong Han Ho (1543?1605), a renowned calligrapher of the time. King Seonjo wrote in the decree, “People trusted you and felt somewhat at ease, and the court relied on you and valued you highly.” This is not the original but a duplicate copy made and preserved identically. A museum official explained, “The original decree Yi Hang-bok received was lost during the Byeongja Horan (Second Manchu invasion), and the duplicate was obtained by his great-grandson Yi Se-pil (1642?1718) from Han Ho’s family and submitted to the Chung Hun Bu (Office of Merit) to receive the royal seal for preservation.” He added, “This shows both the importance of Joseon royal decrees for meritorious subjects and the efforts of descendants to preserve them.”

Among the Hoseonggongshin materials is also the ‘Portrait of Yi Hang-bok as Hoseonggongshin.’ It depicts him at the age of forty-nine and is believed to be a later copy. A museum official said, “Meritorious portraits were treasured by descendants, and when the original deteriorated, it was a tradition to redraw and enshrine them anew.” The ‘Portrait of Yi Hang-bok as Wiseonggongshin’ showing his face at fifty-eight is thought to have undergone a similar process. The official added, “Comparing the two portraits reveals the passage of nine years, visible in the increasing wrinkles on his face.”

An Essay on Ancestral Rites Personally Written by Yi Hang-bok

The exhibition also displays the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ handwritten by Yi Hang-bok himself. It is the oldest brush-written Thousand Character Classic book in Korea. Yi wrote it for his grandson Yi Si-jung. Each character is carefully written with a strong structure and sharp strokes. In a note, he wrote, “This was written by an old man of fifty, wiping sweat and enduring pain, so do not handle it carelessly and betray this old man’s intention.”

Yi Hang-bok’s rare autograph on ‘Writings on Ancestral Rites’ is also highly valuable. He selectively transcribed passages related to the essence of ancestral rites from the Chinese classic ‘Yegi (禮器).’ A museum official explained, “Yi Hang-bok thought that descendants blindly followed the rituals during ancestral rites without understanding their meaning, so he compiled selected texts from ancient classics into a folding screen for them to study regularly.”

Additionally, the museum introduces the ‘Baeksa Handwritten Collection (Baeksa Sujeokcheop),’ a compilation of writings Yi Hang-bok made while studying Tang poetry in his youth, a portrait of Yi Se-pil, and ‘Yuseo (Admonition Letter)’ by Yi Gyeong-il. The exhibition also reveals Yi Hang-bok’s collected works, ‘Baeksa Seonsaengjip (Collected Works of Master Baeksa),’ the Chinese historical book ‘Nosayeong-eon (Lu Shi Ling Yan),’ and the spiritual enlightenment book on rites, ‘Sarye Hunmong (Four Rites Instructional Primer).’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.