The Journal of Korean Art and Archaeology

Introduction

The National Museum of Korea held a special exhibition titled “Pinnacle of Propriety: The Uigwe, Records of the State Rites of the Joseon Dynasty” from November first, 2022 to March nineteenth, 2023, in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the repatriation of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, which had been looted by the French army and taken to France following its punitive expedition against Joseon (朝鮮, 1392–1910) in 1866. The Oegyujanggak Uigwe garnered significant attention not only due to its dramatic 145-year journey from plunder, to neglect, rediscovery, and eventual return, but also because most of these uigwe volumes had been produced exclusively for the king’s review.

What is a uigwe? During the Joseon period, the state began compiling records documenting major royal ceremonies and rituals, such as royal weddings, funerals, investitures, and palace banquets into books called “uigwe” (Kim Munsik and Shin Byeongju 2005; Han Yeongwu 2005). This also included major state projects, from the construction of palaces to the production of musical instruments and weapons. These records were meant to offer a detailed account of the preparation process, ceremonial procedures, and execution of various events. After producing from two to nine copies of each volume, one copy was presented to the king, while the remaining were stored in local history archives (史庫) or relevant government offices. The uigwe books preserved at Oegyujanggak, the outer royal library on Ganghwa Island, are known as the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, and the majority of them were copies that once belonged to the king. This paper aims to examine the history, characteristics, and significance of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, as well as discuss the research findings and prospects for the future.

The History of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe

Oegyujanggak, the Treasure Trove of the Joseon Royal Court

The term “Oegyujanggak” means “royal library (Gyujanggak) outside the capital (oe).” Oegyujanggak functioned as an annex to the main royal library. This section examines what purpose it served and how it came to be established.

Gyujanggak (奎章閣) was founded immediately after the accession of King Jeongjo (正祖, r. 1776–1800), the twenty-second king of Joseon. Built in the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace (昌德宮), Gyujanggak served as a royal library for preserving the writings, calligraphy, and paintings of previous kings, along with other books and documents concerning royal genealogy. Soon after its establishment, the role of Gyujanggak was expanded to include the management of academic research, publication, and state policies. The library emerged as a key institution in reinforcing King Jeongjo’s political power and cultural influence. In 1781, King Jeongjo ordered the construction of Oegyujanggak on Ganghwa Island to provide a safer repository for the royal collections where they would be safe from fire or war. Hence, the functions originally carried out by the Gyujanggak royal library were transferred to Oegyujanggak. Ganghwa Island was deemed a suitable location to store important documents since it had proven to be relatively safe in times of wars. For this reason, a temporary palace (行宮) and a local archive had already been built on this island before the construction of Oegyujanggak to preserve other royal materials. According to the Gyujanggak chi (奎章閣志), compiled in 1784, Oegyujanggak was six kan in size and erected to the east of the temporary palace on Ganghwa (Figs. 1 and 2).

Fig. 1. Painting of Gyujanggak by Kim Hongdo (1745–after 1806). Joseon, ca. 1776. Color on silk. 143.2 × 115.5 cm. National Museum of Korea

Fig. 2. “The Painting of Oegyujanggak” from The Painting of a Palace at Ganghwabu. Painter Unknown. Joseon, late 19th Century. Ink on Paper. 98.5 × 68.5 cm. National Library of Korea

Following the reign of King Jeongjo, royal materials and major books were collected more systematically at Oegyujanggak. These included royal seals (御寶), royal decrees (敎命), jade books of investiture (玉冊), writings of the kings (御製), works of calligraphy (御筆), uigwe volumes, royal genealogies, and other items such as maps and books. The Ganghwabu Oegyujanggak Hyeongjian (江華府外奎章閣形止案) holds a record of the types and quantity of materials preserved in Oegyujanggak. This ledger, meticulously updated through regular inspections, provides a detailed account of the collection’s contents. As of 1782, a total of 4,892 volumes under 762 titles were being housed at Oegyujanggak. In 1857, the number had grown to 5,166, including twenty-five items used at the royal court such as jade books of investiture, golden seals engraved with honorary titles, and royal decrees; sixty-eight pieces of royal writings and calligraphic works; six pieces of scrolls; 667 uigwe volumes under 401 titles; and 4,400 other volumes under 606 titles (Yi Taejin 2010, 228–235). Some of these collections would be sent to the palace in the capital at the request of the king. After the reign of King Jeongjo, Oegyujanggak became the primary repository of the Joseon dynasty’s royal culture for the next eighty years. During this time, the tradition of preserving uigwe (mostly copies destined for the king) at Oegyujanggak was established. As a result, copies for royal perusal, not only those preserved in Gyujanggak before the reign of King Jeongjo but also those produced after the construction of Oegyujanggak, were collected and sent to Oegyujanggak (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Ganghwabu Oegyujanggak Hyeongjian. Joseon, 1857. 46.0 × 33.2 cm. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Loan to National Museum of Korea

The Ordeal Faced by the Oegyujanggak Uigwe and their Repatriation

By the end of the nineteenth century, Ganghwa Island had become the gateway allowing Western powers into Joseon. The invasion of the French army, in particular, inflicted significant damage on the Oegyujanggak and its precious collections. In 1866, under the guise of addressing alleged oppression of the Catholic Church by the Joseon government, the French army launched an attack on Ganghwa Island. Faced with strong resistance from the Joseon army, the French eventually retreated, but not before plundering some of the collections stored at the Oegyujanggak and setting fire to the library. Due to this incident, most of the Oegyujanggak collections were lost to fire, except for 340 items looted by the French army.

The French army plundered nineteen boxes of silver and a number of uigwe volumes. Out of the extensive collection of over 4,000 volumes housed in Oegyujanggak, the French army specifically targeted the copies for royal perusal. As will be explained later, the distinguishing features of these copies must have captured the attention of the French troops: their notably larger size compared to regular books, their beautiful silk covers and bindings adorned with brass strips, the neat calligraphy, and the colorful illustrations. Admiral Pierre-Gustave Roze of the French army presented the looted items to the King of France and his superiors before they were donated to the Imperial Library (now the National Library of France) (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4. “Painting of the Occupation of Yamoun (the governor of Kanghoa’s residence)” from L’illustration. National Museum of Korea

The Oegyujanggak Uigwe were believed to have been completely destroyed until Maurice Courant published the Bibliographie Coréenne between 1894 and 1896, in which he stated that 300 volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe were being kept in France. The existence of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe was confirmed in 1975 by Dr. Park Byeongseon (朴炳善, 1923–2011) who left for France to study in 1955 with a mission to find the Oegyujanggak Uigwe in accordance with the wishes of her professor Lee Byeong-do (李丙燾, 1896–1989). Working as an employee at the National Library in Paris (Bibliothèque nationale de France) for thirteen years starting in 1967, she lost no time to search for the whereabouts of the uigwe. In 1975, she finally discovered the Oegyujanggak Uigwe volumes in a warehouse at the Versailles branch of the National Library of France. At the time, the uigwe were erroneously classified as Chinese books and found to have severely damaged covers and pages. Restoration efforts were completed in 1978, and the Oegyujanggak Uigwe were finally revealed to the public.

After the discovery, Dr. Park Byeongseon continued her research on the Oegyujanggak Uigwe and published a collection of bibliographic information on the volumes in 1985. This publication provided an opportunity for Korea to petition France for the return of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe. In response to the Korean academic community’s request in 1991, the Korean government formally requested the French government to return all the books. As a result, the presidents of Korea and France reached an agreement for their return, framing it as “permanent loan” as part of cultural exchange between the two countries. At the summit meeting between both nations held in Seoul on September fourteenth, 1993, the first volume of the Uigwe for Constructing the Tomb of Lady Bak (顯穆綏嬪徽慶園園所都監儀軌, Hyonmoksubin hwigyeongwon wonso dogam uigwe) was returned to Korea.

However, it took several years for the two countries to agree on the return procedure. In 2002, an inspection team consisting of academic experts was dispatched to France twice to investigate the Oegyujanggak Uigwe. After the inspections, the effort to repatriate the Uigwe gained momentum, leading to cooperation between the private sector and government agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Heritage Administration. At the G20 Seoul Summit held in November 2010, an agreement was finally reached for the return of the uigwe between the presidents of Korea and France. Accordingly, 296 volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe were returned to Korea in four rounds from April fourteenth to May twenty-seventh, 2011. Thus, all 297 volumes, including the one brought back to Korea in 1993, were returned to their homeland in dramatic fashion after being overseas for 145 years. The books are currently being preserved at the National Museum of Korea.

The Characteristics and Value of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe (Yu Saerom 2011; 2013, 5–51)

The Historical Value of Uigwe

Uigwe offers a record of various royal rituals and major state projects during the Joseon dynasty and Korean Empire (大韓帝國, 1897–1910) periods. Ceremonies and rituals include royal weddings, investitures, state funerals, royal rites, banquets, military ceremonies, receptions of envoys, royal processions, and rewarding ceremonies for meritorious service. As for state projects, these involve the construction of palaces, fortresses, and altars, the manufacture of musical instruments and weapons, the completion of royal portraits (御眞), and the compilation and publication of important books such as the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty and the royal genealogy. In order to undertake royal rituals and state projects, directorates (都監, dogam) were established, each with their own departments (房, bang) responsible for handling practical duties. During the execution of a project, the directorates engaged in discussions with the king on various matters, receiving and forwarding documents to relevant government offices and departments upon receiving royal approval.

The documents transmitted from one government office to another at various levels contained detailed information about the project’s background, decision-making process, personnel involved (including officials, staff, and craftsmen), and the list of items manufactured for the project. These documents are invaluable materials for gaining a thorough understanding of each ritual and project. For example, documents pertaining to funeral rites record not only details such as the types of coffins used for a funeral, stone objects built near royal tombs, and royal seals and investiture books to be enshrined at the Royal Ancestral Shrine after a three–year mourning period, but also specific information such as what type, quantity, and size of materials were used, how the items were manufactured and materials procured, and what was the process for selecting the required personnel. Since these documents are transcriptions of original texts, they are also considered primary sources.

Unlike most other official documents, uigwe are admired for their detailed illustrations. Two main types of illustrations can be found in uigwe. The first are called banchado, which depict royal processions with government officials lined by rank and items organized according to protocol. The second type of illustration are called doseol, which detail the items used for royal ceremonies or state events and include illustrations of ceremonial military regalia, building structures, and detailed scenes from the events (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Various Doseol Illustrations inside the Uigwe: 1): “Illustrations of Ritual Vessels” from the Uigwe for the Funeral of Lady Bak. Joseon, 1823. 2) “An Illustration of Shrine Chamber” from the Uigwe for Constructing the Shrine of Lady Bak. Joseon, 1824. 3) “An Illustration of Yungbok Hall” from the Uigwe for the Reconstruction of Gyeonghuigung Palace. Joseon, 1832.

Dealing with all major state events, uigwe played a significant role in establishing precedents to be followed for future royal rituals and state projects, rather than simply serving as one-time manuals for single events. In recognition of their historical value, uigwe from the Joseon dynasty were registered as UNESCO Memory of the World in 2007. The Oegyujanggak Uigwe, however, were excluded from registration because the books were still being kept in France at the time.

The 297 volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe are categorized by type of ceremony, including investitures (冊禮), royal weddings (嘉禮), funerals and burials (喪葬禮), bestowals of honorary titles (尊號尊崇), court banquets (筵享), state administration, and others. Among these, uigwe on funeral and burial rites account for the largest proportion, totaling 203 volumes (or 68%) of the entire collection. There are four types of uigwe documenting funeral and burial rites. The first is the uigwe produced by the Directorate for the Royal Coffin Hall and the Spirit Hall. The directorate assumed the duty of shrouding and enshrining corpses. The second type was produced by the Directorate for the State Funeral which was responsible for overseeing all procedures of state funerals, from sending the bier to receiving the spirit tablet upon its return from the funeral. The third type was the produced by the Directorate for the Royal Tomb, an office in charge of building the royal tombs. The last is the uigwe produced by Directorate for Enshrining the Spirit Tablet. This office assumed the duty of enshrining the spirit tablet at the Royal Ancestral Shrine after the completion of the three-year mourning period. In addition to these four types of ceremonies, uigwe on the relocation and repair work of royal tombs also fell under the category of funeral and burial rites.

Originally, uigwe were transcribed into multiple copies and stored separately to be preserved permanently or used as reference by relevant offices. For this reason, many of the surviving uigwe exist in multiple copies. In contrast, some uigwe were only preserved as single copies, known as single-copy uigwe. Among the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, there are twenty-six uigwe divided into twenty-nine volumes which are classified as single copies with no additional copies either in Korea or abroad. the Uigwe for the Royal Feast

The following are some of the most representative single copies. First, the Uigwe for the Royal Feast (豐呈都監儀軌, Pungjeong dogam uigwe) is known as the earliest among the Oegyujanggak Uigwe and the oldest among uigwe dealing with royal banquets. Second, the Uigwe for the Funeral of Crown Grandson Uiso (懿昭世孫禮葬都監儀軌, Uisoseson yejang dogam uigwe) and the Uigwe for Constructing the Tomb of Crown Grandson Uiso (懿昭世孫墓所都監儀軌, Uisoseson myoson dogam uigwe) are single copies which record the funerary procedures for the eldest grandson of the royal court. The third single copy is four volumes of Separate Uigwe for the Official Duties of the Third Departments during Ceremonies (別三房儀軌, Byeolsambang uigwe). These volumes were produced during the reigns of King Hyeonjong (顯宗, r. 1659–1674), King Sukjong (肅宗, r. 1674–1720), King Gyeongjong (景宗, r. 1720–1724), and King Yeongjo by the three directorates: the directorate for enshrining the spirit tablet, bestowing an honorary title upon the queen dowager, and granting investiture to the queen following the completion of the three-year mourning period for the preceding king. The fourth single copy comprises seven uigwe volumes regarding the large-scale repair project of royal tombs undertaken during the reign of King Yeongjo, and the fifth single copy consists of three uigwe volumes detailing the ceremony of bestowing the title of merit subject and reward to officials who rendered meritorious service during the reigns of King Sukjong and King Yeongjo. The single copies of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe hold greater historical value than other uigwe because there are no other extant copies of them (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. A Single-Copy Uigwe from the Oegyujanggak Uigwe. Uigwe for the Royal Feast. Joseon, 1630

Although compiled for different ceremonies and state projects, the main theme of numerous uigwe was the rule of propriety, providing specific examples on how to perform rituals according to propriety. From this viewpoint, uigwe reflect Joseon’s governing philosophy and establish precedents for rituals that would serve as models for future generations.

The Features of Uigwe Copies Intended for the King

The most distinctive feature of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe volumes is that they are mostly copies that were created for the perusal of the king. Of the 297 volumes, 290 are copies intended for the king and only seven are copies for distribution. Typically, between two to nine copies were transcribed for each uigwe depending on the type of ritual. One copy was retained for the king, while the remaining were sent to the four local history archives (史庫), which includes the State Council, the Ministry of Rites, the Office of State Records, and other relevant government offices.

The copy for royal perusal and the other copies share the same content but differ in terms of material and the type of bookbinding (粧䌙) used to produce the books. The copy for royal perusal and the copy for distribution differed in many respects, such as the grades of inner paper, book covers, materials used for byeoncheol (brass strips for bookbinding) and the ring attached to the brass strip, inchalseon (lines intended for transcriber), calligraphy styles, and the colors of illustrations. Existing research has mainly focused on the uigwe samok, which are the regulations included inside each uigwe, by comparing the materials employed to make the copies for royal perusal versus copies for distribution and examining the detailed production process of uigwe, including how materials were procured. The copies for royal perusal preserved in domestic collections were mostly produced in the late nineteenth century after the Byeongin Yangyo incident, which refers to the French invasion of Ganghwa Island in 1866. Consequently, this makes it impossible to compare the content of copies intended for the king with records about the uigwe by period. On the other hand, the production of the copies for royal perusal of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe spanned from the early seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. By examining actual images of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe after their return in 2011, researchers were thus able to identify the peculiar features of these copies and track the changes made to them over time.

The first aspect to examine is the inner paper (內紙) of the uigwe. For the copy for royal perusal, official painters drew each and every red inchalseon line by hand, whereas for the copies for distribution, the lines were created using printing plates and ink. According to the uigwe samok, chojuji paper (草注紙) was used for the copy for royal perusal, while jeojuji paper (楮注紙) for copies for distribution. Chojuji and jeojuji papers are easily distinguishable with the naked eye because chojuji paper is a light off-white color while jeojuji paper appears a light grayish-white. Previously, it was assumed that the two types of paper were made from different raw materials, but it was later verified through analysis that both were made from mulberry fibers.

According to the Takji junjeol (度支準折), which categorizes the supplies used by the royal court and government offices in the late Joseon dynasty by item, chojuji paper was approximately four times more expensive than jeojuji paper. Let us consider why the price and quality differed despite both paper being made from the same raw material. An analysis revealed that the average density of chojuji is 0.7g/cm³ , while the maximum density of jeojuji does not exceed 0.65g/cm³. The difference stemmed from the production process, according to the degrees of fiber density and smoothness of the paper’s surface (搗砧). High-density paper required much more materials and labor, thus resulting in a higher price. Chojuji paper, exceedingly smooth and of high quality, was particularly suited for the copies for royal perusal, on which inchalseon lines and banchado paintings were drawn and characters were written entirely by hand. Moreover, paper with a higher fiber density enhance the colors of illustrations, such as banchado, making them appear more vivid. In contrast, jeojuji paper was more suitable for the copies for distribution in terms of both cost-effectiveness and quality. This is because ink does not smear as much on this type of paper when using printing plates and because the production of the copies for distribution required larger quantities of paper (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Comparison of the Inner Paper Used Inside a Copy for Royal Perusal (chojuji) with a Copy for Distribution (jeojuji): 1) Copy for Royal Perusal from the Second Volume of the Uigwe for Building a Royal Tomb for Queen Hyosun. Joseon, 1751. 46.2 × 34.3 cm. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Loan to National Museum of Korea. 2) Copy for Distribution from the Second Volume of the Uigwe for Building a Royal Tomb for Queen Hyosun. Joseon, 1751. 46.0 × 33.8 cm. Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies

Once all the inchalseon lines had been drawn on the inner paper, the process of transcribing (正書) could begin. For the copy for royal perusal, one or two skilled official transcribers (sajagwan) were selected to transcribe the original texts of the uigwe neatly in a calligraphic style known as haeseo. As for the copy for distribution, a single transcriber in charge of writing calligraphy for the office (seosagwan) was entrusted with the entire transcription of the uigwe. Each time a word designating the king, the queen, the royal family, or any member of the royal family appeared, the copy for royal perusal was written in such a way as to express reverence, such as by starting a new line and writing the word one or two spaces higher than the other lines (擡頭法). In contrast, for the copy for distribution, a blank space was simply left before the word (工隔法). Consequently, the copy for royal perusal generally contained more pages than the copy for distribution. When the transcription was completed, the government seal was affixed to each page of the copy for distribution.

For the copy for royal perusal, official painters (hwawon) meticulously drew doseol illustrations and banchado paintings by hand using vivid colors to depict the details of figures and objects. In contrast, figure stamps were used in copies for distribution to portray recurring characters before coloring. Some parts of the illustrations were occasionally left uncolored, while some characters were roughly sketched without detailed expressions (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8. Banchado Illustrations inside a Copy for Royal Perusal (Left) and a Copy for Distribution (Right). Uigwe of the Investiture Ceremony of Crown Prince Hyojang. Joseon, 1725.

Now, let us examine the book covers. Out of the 297 volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, only eleven volumes of the copies for royal perusal have preserved their original covers, while the remaining volumes underwent restoration by the National Library of France in the 1970s. The original covers of the restored uigwe books had been separately preserved until they were returned to Korea in 2011. These original covers serve as an important resource in understanding what fabrics were used from the early seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century and how fabric patterns changed over time.

The cover of the copy for distribution was made from red hemp cloth, while the cover of the copy for royal perusal was made from high-quality silk, which was typically green but sometimes blue or undyed white. The silk cover of the copy for royal perusal is most commonly adorned with cloud or floral patterns. From the mid-seventeenth century to the first half of the eighteenth century, the cloud-treasure pattern became most prevalent before it was replaced by the lotus pattern with lotus vines in the first half of the eighteenth century. The lotus-peony and flower-phoenix patterns were also used to decorate book covers. From 1746 onward, plain green silk (草綠無紋紬) was used for the cover of the copy for royal perusal in compliance with the royal edict issued in the fourth month of 1746 (the twenty-second year of King Yeongjo’s reign) that prohibited the import and restricted the use of patterned silk in an effort to eliminate extravagance and clarify status distinction.

As for book titles, they were written in ink directly on the hemp cover of the copies for distribution, whereas the titles of copies for royal perusal were inscribed on white silk before being attached to the book cover. The edges of the white silk were wrapped with red silk as narrow as 0.1 or 0.2 centimeters. Until the first half of the eighteenth century, both the silk used for the book title and its edges, as well as the silk for book covers, predominantly featured floral patterns before being replaced by plain silk from 1746 onward. This indicates that King Yeongjo’s prohibition on extravagance also extended to the fabric used for making uigwe book covers (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9. Cloud-Treasure Pattern on the Silk Book Cover of a Copy for Royal Perusal from the Oegyujanggak Uigwe. Uigwe for Installing the Spirit Hall of Queen Jangryeol. Joseon, 1689

The brass fittings (邊鐵) used for book binding is the last feature of the uigwe left to discuss in this paper. Most of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe volumes have retained their original binding strips, which serve as an essential resource for studying what kind of binding strips were used to produce uigwe during the Joseon dynasty. Brass strips were used to secure the uigwe in the final phase of binding. To bind the copy for royal perusal, brass fitting strips were positioned along the right sides of both the front and back of the silk cover, five holes were drilled to fasten the book with nails, and it was bound with a ring and five nails capped with chrysanthemum-pattern studs. For the copy for distribution, however, refined iron fittings were placed along the right sides of both the front and back of the red cloth cover to secure the book with nails which were capped with studs by drilling three holes. The width of the binding strip for the copy for royal perusal typically measured around 3 centimeters.

The style of brass strips changed over time. The four patterns used for adorning the brass strips can be divided into plain, the lotus with scrolling vines pattern (蓮花唐草文), the scrolling vines pattern (唐草文), and the seven jewels pattern (七寶文). Until the early eighteenth century, all ninety brass strips were featured a plain pattern. Records indicate that the production of uigwe began in the early Joseon dynasty, and for a considerable period of time, the brass fittings did not feature any special decorations. However, between 1718 and 1784, the lotus with scrolling vines pattern became the dominant style of decoration for brass fittings, with the exception being the treasure-pattern fittings used for the fourteen uigwe volumes produced in 1752. On the whole, the pattern involved from no pattern to the lotus with scrolling vines pattern, and then to the scrolling vines pattern, save for the treasure pattern used in 1752 (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10. Various Brass Fitting Patterns on the Copies for Royal Perusal of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe: 1) Lotus with Scrolling Vines Pattern on Brass Fittings of the Uigwe for the Investiture Ceremony for Crown Prince Hyojang. 1725 2) Seven Jewels Pattern on Brass Fittings of the Uigwe for Building a Royal Tomb for Queen Hyosun. 1752 3) Scrolling Vines Pattern on Brass Fittings for the Uigwe for the Investiture Ceremony for Crown Prince Munhyo. 1784

The nails with chrysanthemum-patterned studs not only secured the brass strips but also served as a beautiful adornment for the uigwe. The chrysanthemum pattern on the copy for royal perusal typically featured eight petals engraved with radial wrinkles and a nail at the center. In the nineteenth century, the chrysanthemum pattern grew more extravagant with eight-leafed petals wrapped in two layers. Among the five studs with a chrysanthemum pattern, the middle one was designed with a loop enabling the attachment of a ring which could be fastened to the nail studs of the copy for distribution (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11. Studs with Various Chrysanthemum Patterns for the Copies for Royal Perusal of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe: 1) Chrysanthemum Stud for the Uigwe of the Royal Coffin Hall for Queen Jangryeol. 1689 2) Chrysanthemum Stud for the Uigwe of the Investiture for Crown Prince Hyojang. 1725 3) Chrysanthemum Stud for the Uigwe of Building a Royal Tomb for Queen Hyosun. 1752 4) Chrysanthemum Stud for the Uigwe for Granting Honorary Titles to Queen Sunwon and Queeen Sinjeong. 1837

As previously discussed, most of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe were crafted to the highest standards, with meticulous attention to detail and the use of specially selected materials, all for the king’s perusal. Unlike other state records, separate copies specifically intended for the king were created for the uigwe. This indicates that the Joseon dynasty believed the uigwe would uphold “the rule of propriety” through ceremonies and rituals, which is why considerable efforts were devoted not only to its content but also to every aspect of its manufacturing process. The Oegyujanggak Uigwe serves as a valuable resource for understanding the distinctive features of the copies for royal perusal, the intricacies of the manufacturing process, and reassessing the significance of these copies for royal perusal during the Joseon dynasty.

Research Findings and Future Prospects for the Oegyujanggak Uigwe

Before the publication of Dr. Park Byeongseon’s work in 1985, research on the uigwe had been limited to a small number of fields such as the history of clothing, music, and architecture, primarily relying on the illustrations found within the uigwe. However, following the publication of her work in 1985, there was a gradual increase in the number of research papers relying on domestic collections. Full-scale research began in the 2000s. From the dispatch of an inspection team to France in 2002 until 2010, the number of research papers on uigwe increased by more than fivefold after domestic organizations began to compile and publish the annotated catalogues of their collections around 2002 and the inspection team published their research reports. More specifically, the return of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe from France in 2011 served as a catalyst for further research, resulting in an increase in the publication of research papers and dissertations, with approximately forty more general papers and twenty more dissertations published compared to the period from 2002 to 2010.

Most of all, the return of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe helped to raise public awareness and generate widespread interest in uigwe. Playing a key role in this regard was the special exhibition titled “The Return of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe from France: Records of the State Rites of the Joseon Dynasty” (July 19–September 18, 2011), which was held immediately after the return of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe to celebrate their repatriation and promote their significance. The special exhibition was soon followed by touring exhibitions held in Ganghwa Island, Gwangju, Daegu, and Jeonju.

To promote further research on the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, the National Museum of Korea created a database from 2012 to 2015 which offers original images and texts for all 297 volumes, as well as comprehensive information organized by theme, including annotations, doseol illustrations, and banchado paintings, all accessible on its official website (https://www.museum.go.kr/). The comprehensive database of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe has been instrumental in academic research and the creation of various cultural contents. This is especially true for the bookbinding of the copies for royal perusal, as well as the colored doseol illustrations and banchado paintings, all of which have been widely used for the production of digital content and cultural products.

In addition to individual scholars conducting research using the Oegyujanggak Uigwe comprehensive database, the National Museum of Korea itself has also been actively involved in research projects. From 2011 to 2012, the museum conducted scientific analyses on the images, book covers, inner paper, and binding strips of all volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, achieving significant progress. The findings were documented in the Oegyujanggak Uigwe Academic Series, published as part of the museum’s own research initiative (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12. Oegyujanggak Uigwe Academic Series published by the National Museum of Korea

The book Joseon Dynasty Uigwe: Current State of Research and Future Prospects, published in 2012, provides basic data essential for preliminary research on the Oegyujanggak Uigwe by providing an overview of the different uigwe collections found in major domestic institutions and summarizing the history of research on the uigwe in various fields. The book also includes the findings of a comprehensive survey conducted on all volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe. The Bookbinding of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, published in 2014, examines the characteristics of the copies for royal perusal and the bookbinding process used in their production according to the time period and type of material. The book also explores the cultural and historical significance of the copies for royal perusal through the study of bookbinding. It offers an empirical examination of the manufacturing process by comparing the records in uigwe with the results of scientific analysis conducted on the inner paper, book covers, and binding strips, thereby providing the basis for follow-up research.

Starting from the third publication of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe Academic Series, uigwe research transitioned to topic-based studies, involving researchers from various fields including the history of Joseon dynasty, bibliographic studies, art history, the history of costumes, architectural history, and the history of music. The Funerary Rites of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe I, published in 2015, and the Funerary Rites of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe II, published in 2018, focus on single-copy uigwe for funeral rites. The books thoroughly explore the preparation process and procedures involved in the funerals for the queen, the queen dowager, the crown princess, and the eldest son of the crown prince, topics that previously lacked comprehensive research. Also discussed are the changes in rituals, artisans involved, and analyses of banchado paintings and pigments. In the Chaengnye and Jonsung Rites, published in 2020, the ceremony of bestowing honorary titles upon the queen dowager and investitures for the queen and the crown prince, rare topics in the field of uigwe research, are reinterpreted as rituals to raise the status of the royal family. The book also explores various other topics such as the venues used and the music performed at the rituals.

The Gongsin Nokhun, published in 2022, is dedicated to the ceremonial process of rewarding meritorious service during the reigns of King Sukjong and King Yeongjo. The book mainly focuses on single copies, discussing their political significance and shedding light on the compilation process of the Uigwe for Rewarding Meritorious Service (錄勳都監儀軌, Nokhun dogam uigwe). In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the return of uigwe from France, the book also examines research results accumulated during the ten years following their repatriation in 2011, with a focus on the fields of Korean history, architectural history, art history, costume history, and music history.

Research on uigwe has been conducted across various fields and topics. In the field of Korean history, research has progressed beyond the initial stage of empirical reconstruction of ritual practices to the in-depth study of the ideological, political, and cultural significance in each ritual. In architectural history, the research extends beyond royal palaces and the Royal Ancestral Shrine to encompass royal tombs and other shrines. Research topics have also been subdivided, and the volume of research has also increased drastically in the field of art history. Recent trends in art history research focus on identifying extant artworks and linking them to the records in uigwe in the aim of reconstructing the rituals and venues where artifacts were used, as well as examining historical and political interpretations of royal art. As for the field of costume history, notable achievements have been made in three areas: the publication of non-academic books, in-depth historical investigation into royal costumes, and the digitalization of uigwe contents. Similarly, various efforts have also been made in music history. New perspectives have been applied to analyzing uigwe related to royal banquets, focusing on the roles and activities of court musicians, the manufacture of musical instruments, and the formation of musicians and instruments during the performance. Furthermore, the findings from this research have been reflected in music education at schools (National Museum of Korea, 2012–2022).

The special exhibition titled “Pinnacle of Propriety: The Uigwe, Records of the State Rites of the Joseon Dynasty,” held from November first of 2022 to March nineteenth of 2023, showcased the research results conducted over the ten year-period following the return of the uigwe (National Museum of Korea, 2022). Research on the Oegyujanggak Uigwe is expected to make further progress on the topics of wedding ceremonies, the rites of conferring honorary titles and enshrining the spirit tablet at the Royal Ancestral Shrine, the construction and repair works, and other related areas.

Concluding Remarks

The Oegyujanggak Uigwe are cultural assets with a unique history. They are invaluable not only because they offer a glimpse into the state rituals conducted at the time of the Joseon dynasty, but also because of their unusual journey, having traveled from Joseon to France and back to the Republic of Korea 145 years later. Above all, the Oegyujanggak Uigwe contain the ruling philosophy of the Joseon dynasty, the “rule of propriety,” as evidenced by the recorded precedents of royal ceremonies and rituals. This explains why the Joseon court invested such great effort in adorning the copies for royal perusal with highly elaborate bookbinding to make them stand out from other state records and emphasize their value. Furthermore, the calligraphy, book covers, and paintings of the copies for royal perusal will undoubtedly serve as the basis for the creation of various cultural contents. The National Museum of Korea’s efforts to promote the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, including research projects, comprehensive database services, exhibitions, and other initiatives, are expected to yield fruitful results in future research and other applications of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe across various fields.