Yi Si-seon’s courtesy name was Jasu, and his art name was Songwoljae. He was a seventh-generation descendant of Prince Onnyeong whose father was King Taejong, the third ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. Si-seon’s father Yeonggi moved to the south of Jungnyeong during the Japanese Invasion period (1592-1598), where he married Kwon Rae’s daughter and gave birth to Yi Si-seon in Yugok village.
As a descendant of the royal family, Songwoljae interacted with gentry class scholars. His study ranged extensively from Confucian classics to history, but at the same time he sympathized with the contemporary issues. Throughout his whole life, he devoted himself in the writing historical texts and the essay Hahwapyeon (Edition of Lotus).
He was a remarkable scholar who dedicated his life into survey trips and writing with a unique historical perspective. Even after the Manchu Invasions of 1627 and 1636, he cared for both the ruling class, whose pride was lost, and the suffering laboring class, showing both sympathy and criticism.
The reason for titling his essay Hahwapyeon is that he respected the character of lotus flower, which remains unsoiled even when rooted in the mud, and whose scent is constant regardless of people’s presence.
We can understand his unique historical perspective through his writings: he agreed with other gentry class scholars as that the main stream of Chinese history began with the Three Emperors and continued to the Ming dynasty, but he adopted the diversity of the historical view. He emphasized that history is about not only knowing the historical facts but also improving one’s own virtue by introspection.
Seongho Yi Ik wrote on the tombstone of Songwoljae, “When he got the official position, he changed his mind from caring his own household to survey trip for the real adult man’s lifetime aim. … He aimed only reading to concentrate himself, and not the desire for comfort.”
Songwoljae’s humble attitude is reflected in his quote: “This is only to develop myself, not to seek recognition.” It shows how he was a humane Confucian scholar and Joseon gentry, surviving near a century through the tumultuous period of change after the wars.
We have understood Joseon as a kingdom organizing its system through examinations based on the Confucian text to select the civil officers. Although Songwoljae did not take the examination, he still studied the entirety of Confucian texts and history books for purely academical purposes. Through Songwoljae’s achievement, we can understand that such real gentry scholars existed not only within the official system but also outside of it.