|
Choe Geun-bae House (early
20th century onward) other
sites in Gangneung |
Gangneung, Korea |
Click on an image to enlarge
An inscription on the ridgebeam of the Choe Geun-bae house gives the date of construction as August 1914, though it is unclear if there was an earlier home on this site. Even though the present house has had a relatively short life, it has seen some major changes. For example, the large kitchen space at the left side of the anchae (inner quarters) used to be divided into a heated room at the front and a wood-floored area at the rear. An ancestral shrine was established at the north end of the wood-floored space, but all traces of this have vanished.
The sarangchae (men's quarters) has an unusual vestibule space leading from the inner quarters. In this vestibule, or 'sinbang', was a small earth-floored space where people could leave their shoes before ascending into the sarangchae. This is very similar to the antechambers of modern-day Korean apartments, which are identical in function. In this way, the Choe Geun-bae house offers a bit of a glimpse of the earliest stages of Korean's transition to the present mode of living.
Below: Plan of the house. Adapted
and modified from Hangukui Geonchuk Munhwajae 3 (Architectural Heritage
of Korea, v. 9).
Bibliography:
All images copyright 2005 Tim Ciccone
The author wishes to thank Lee Baek-kyu, a local resident, for his broad knowledge of Gangneung history and assistance in visiting numerous local sites
Park, Kyung-Rip. Hangukui Geonchuk
Munhwajae 3 (Architectural Heritage of Korea, v. 9).
Kimoondang Publishers. Seoul:
1999.
Cultural Properties Administration
