Writing and Editing of Family Motto by Taekdang Yi Sik's Family in the 17th Century

Abstract

This study analyzes Taekdang Yi Sik's Family Motto in the 17th century to examine the process by which an individual's social experiences are shaped into norms for their descendants. Yi Sik's life, which served as the backdrop for the formation of the family motto, was divided into three periods based on his past rank, government service, and writing activity. The first is the period from his birth to his passing the state examination; the second is the period of his reclusive life after passing the state examination; and the third is the period of his writing activity working as a government official after the Restoration of King Injo. The writings completed by Yi Sik during his lifetime were compiled by his descendants into two volumes of Family Motto after his death. It is characterized by being passed down in an incomplete form because it was not intended to be distributed externally, but only shared with close relatives within the family. The main contents of Family Motto are divided into two main categories: those necessary for the operation of the family and those necessary for the education of the descendants. The contents necessary for the operation of the family were organized into the main rituals of the ceremony and the management of the graves of their ancestors and the contents necessary for the education of the descendants were organized into the study method for passing the state examination and the method of learning sentences. This is understood to be the result of his efforts to ensure the rational operation of the family and the efficient transmission of learning as one of the ways for Yi Sik to pass on the know-how he had accumulated during his life to his descendants.