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Eo Myeonggi House - 어명기 가옥 (魚命驥 家屋) (rebuilt c. 1750 onward)

The Eo Myeonggi house is a fine example of the heavily clustered homes found in the northern part of Gangwon province. In contrast to traditional upper-class homes found in other areas of Korea, the house shelters all occupants of the estate beneath one roof. Men, women, children, and even servants lived together in the same building so that it was easier to heat the whole house. To accomodate everyone without violating Confucian propriety, the various rooms of the house are layered three deep and segregated into discrete areas. The sarangchae, or men's quarters, takes up most of the southeast side of the house, including the center room. Although it is adjacent to the anchae (the inner quarters), there are no doors directly connecting the two zones. Likewise, the farmhand's room at the northeast corner of the house--adjacent to the sarangchae--can only be accessed from the rear yard and the food storage room.

The present site of the Eo Myeonggi house was originally occupied about 400 years ago. Around 1750, the original house burned to the ground and the present house was constructed in its place. It is recorded that Eo Taejun (1705-1758), an ancestor of the present owner Eo Myeonggi, for whom the house is named, spent three years rebuilding the house to its original condition. In 1860 his descendant purchased about 3,000 pyeong of land in the area and later, in his dying wish to his children, asked that the estate never be divided. His heirs tried to uphold his instructions, but the lands held by the house were forcibly redistributed in 1945 following the Japanese withdrawal from Korea. During the Korean War, the house was appropriated by the government as a field hospital for wounded soldiers. Fortunately, like the neighboring Wanggok village (also on this website), the house was never bombed. It also escaped destruction during massive wildfires in the late 1990s and was spared damage from a severe typhoon in 2002.

According to GPS readings taken by the author, the site sits at 38 18.86835' N, 128 31.04904' E (WGS84 map datum). Address: 강원 고성군 죽왕면 삼포리 551.

(Designated Important Cultural Property #131).

Plan of the house.
Modified drawing adapted from Hangukui Geonchuk Munhwajae 3: Gangwonpyeon by Park, Kyung-rip.