Toi-Gye -Returning Stream or Retreating River

37 Moves 3rd Kup

Toi-Gye is the penname of the noted scholar Yi Hwang (16th Century AD) an authority on neo-confucianism.  The 37 movements of the pattern refer to his birthplace on the 37th degree latitude and the diagram represents the scholar.

Neo-Confucianism was primarily concerned with the regulation and harmonisation of human relations through moral and ethical principles, as opposed to orthodox Confucianism, which sometimes delved into metaphysical problems, such as the origin and nature of the universe, yet left the average scholar hanging when it came to practical explanations on how to live a good life.

 A major book in Neo-Confucian thought is the Book of Self-Cultivation (Susinsô) published in Chinese in 1431, and Korean in 1481. It emphasises Confucian virtues such as: self-control, loyalty, self-cultivation, and filial piety.

Neo-Confucian ethics dealt with three cardinal principles, called samgang:

1)     Loyalty to ruler,

2)     Filial piety to parents,

3)     Faithfulness, chastity, and fidelity.

There were also five ethical norms, called oryun, which dealt with human relationships, such as:

1)     Righteousness and justice between rulers and ministers,

2)     Cordiality and closeness between parents and children,

3)     Distinction between husband and wife,

4)     Order between elders and juniors, and 5) trust between friends.

Yi Whang (1501-1570) (a.k.a.  T'oegye) one of the foremost Confucian scholars of Korea and once chief of Confucian studies and affairs, initiated Tosan Sowon (thousand Won academy), one of many academies which were a new type of  private educational institution. The academy taught Confucian classics and held Confucian rites twice a year. Prominent  scholars were invited to teach at these institutes, which came to assume the role of centers for academic gatherings and debates.

Behind the academy is a wooden, tiled Yi dynasty house which has been the abode of Yi Whang's descendants for the past 16 generations.