Landscape Characteristics of <italic>Sojinjeong</italic> Garden in Geochang

Abstract

Background and objective: This study aimed to examine the construction intention, spatial composition, and landscape characteristics of Sojinjeong Garden, located in Geochang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, through a literature analysis and field survey. The findings can be summarized as follows.Methods: The research method was a combination of literature review and field surveys. The history of the construction of Sojinjeong and its garden was examined through a review of the literature, while the spatial composition and landscape characteristics of the garden were analyzed through field surveys and interviews.Results: Sojinjeong Garden was created by Confucian scholar Wucheon Do Jae-gyun in the 1920s. In the background to this garden's construction, the placeness related to Nammyeong Jo Shik, a great Confucian scholar of the Joseon period, played a large role. Do Jae-gyun, the creator of the garden, placed the garden centered on Sojinjeong and Imcheongjeong where Poyeon could be seen, keeping in mind the relationship between his ancestor, Do Hee-ryeong, and Nammyeong. He also created a colony of <i>Lagerstroemia indica</i>, which is in full bloom in summer, around the place where they took a wind bath. Various landscape elements of Sojinjeong Garden are distributed throughout Gusa Village, including the adjacent Okgye Stream, Poyeondae, and Banwhandae. These landscape elements can be roughly classified into scenic views inside and outside the garden, structures, and vegetation. The landscape structure of the garden is divided into inner garden, outer garden, and area of influence based on the location of the landscape elements, a typical structure for an annex garden. The scenic significance contained in Sojinjeong Garden is converged into the nickname of Sojinjeong Pavilion and the word <i>Yokgi</i> (浴沂; <i>Yuyi</i> in Chinese) that appears in a poem recited in the garden. This represents the intent of the creator of the garden, who wanted to make Sojinjeong Garden a place where he could cultivate himself in harmony with nature, away from the mundane world.Conclusion: Sojinjeong Garden is an annex garden of the Nammyeong School, built in the western part of Gyeongsang-do, and is considered to be a very valuable relic. However, the original landscape of Sojinjeong Garden is changing, and a reasonable management plan should be sought by regarding it as an integrated garden relic and making an objective evaluation.