한말 지식인의 지리산 유람

A Study on Intellectuals Trips to Mt. Jiri at the End of Joseon

There are about 100 trip accounts of Mt. Jiri identified so far, and approximately more than a half of them were written in the 19th and 20th century. At the end of Joseon, in particular, trips to Mt. Jiri were concentrated among Gangwoo scholars in the Yeongnam region. They mostly lived within the zone of Mt. Jiri such as Hapcheon, Samga, Uiryeong, Danseong, Jinju, Sancheong, Hamyang, Deoksan, and Hadong. Their trip course was consistent in most cases through the relics of Nammyeong Jo Shik in Deoksan to the Cheonwangbong in the direction of Jungsanri and Daewonsa. At the end of Joseon, intellectuals went on a trip to Mt. Jiri in groups of members of various schools scattered around in the zone of Mt. Jiri. They would usually develop their academic activities in their own residence around the zone of Mt. Jiri and gather and have social intercourse with each other for the occasion of trip to Mt. Jiri. The greatest scholars of the times would take a trip to the mountain collectively and hold various rituals including festivals, drinking events, and Buddhist ceremonies. Those acts helped those intellectuals connect with one another during the turbulent times at the end of Joseon. Their trips to the mountain turned its surrounding areas into gathering places for scholars. Intellectuals trips to Mt. Jiri represented a journey for gathering and social intercourse at the end of Joseon, which is a characteristic to differentiate their trips to Mt. Jiri from those in the previous periods involving a look around scenic spots and historic relics.