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 Jongmyo Shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Korea's royal ancestors. The royal
family of the Joseon Dynasty paid homage to their forefathers in the
time-honored Confucian tradition. This sedate shrine of beautiful architectural
simplicity is appreciated as an invaluable cultural inheritance and was
registered on the UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995.
Jongmyo
Shrine is made up of Jeongjeon (the main hall), Yeongnyeongjeon (the Hall of
Eternal Peace), and auxiliary facilities. Jeongjeon, with its attached cloister,
is said to have been the longest building in Asia. It enshrines the memorial
tablets of greatly honored kings and their queens, today containing 19 memorial
tablets of kings and 30 tablets of their queens in 19 spirit chambers.
Jongmyo Jerye, or the Royal Ancestral Rite, was one of the most important
government events during the Joseon period. It was conducted five times
annually. Additional rites were also performed on special state occasions to
notify the ancestral spirits of the events. The king himself became an officiant
who offered repetitive bows and liquor before each chamber according to strict
procedures maintaining an austere ambiance.
Each procedure is accompanied by
ritual music, Botaepyeong and Jeongdaeeop.The orchestral ensemble is composed of
Chinese-derived and native string, percussion and wind instruments including
bell chimes (pyeonjong), stone chimes (pyeongyeong), the cylindrical Chinese
oboe (dangpiri), the bowed zither (ajaeng), and the transverse flute (daegeum),
which still capture the authentic form of the old court music that has been
played since the early Joseon period. The head of the dynasty's Jeonju Yi Clan
still officiates at the annual rite on the first Sunday of May.
Jongmyo was built
in 1394, when the Joseon Dynasty moved their capital from Gaeseong to Hanyang
(the present Seoul), but was burnt to the ground during the Japanese invasion of
Korea in 1592. The reconstruction was planned in 1604 and completed in 1608, the
1st year of Gwanghaegun (r. 1608-1623).
Jongmyo Jerye, the royal ancestral
rite, is certainly a historical rarity in the world, with 500-year old
formalities for ancestral worship set in 1462. It keeps intact the original
procedures for the offering of sacrificial gifts of food and drink in authentic
ritual utensils, with royal descendents and participants costumed by rank, as
well as ritual dance and music ensembles.
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