Construction and Transformation of Monuments to Ring Hou(楊鎬) in Late Joseon

Abstract

In 1598, a monument to Ring Hou, who participated in the war during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, was erected in Sahyeon for the first time. Unlike other monuments related to Ming Army, this monument seems to be voluntarily built by the Joseon’s court because Ring Hou’s repatriation had a significant impact on Joseon s Daemyung diplomacy. After the war, generous treatments to Ring Hou continued. As Ring Hou regained military power, the Joseon Dynasty was able to use the friendly relationship with Ring Hou as a mean to respond to the rapidly changing international situation. In commemoration of the enshrinement of the portrait of Ring Hou in 1610, the second monument to him was built near the Mohwagwan in 1612. After the replacement of Ming and Qing, despite the fact that monuments to Ming army could bring tension in Joseon-Qing relationship, interest in the monument has increased even more than before. With the development of the Joseon Junghwa Ideology, Ring Hou was re-examined as a symbol of the Jaejojieun of the Shen-tsung emperor. The monument made in Seonjo’s reign, which had been damaged and fallen through several wars, was newly erected at Seonmusa Temple in Sukjong’s reign, and the old monument was also repaired. King Yeongjo worked hard to promote Fulfilling Righteousness by