Jongmyo is the Royal Ancestral Shrine and holds the mortuary tablets of the kings and queens of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910). It is situated in the centre of Seoul. A ceremony known as the
Jongmyo Jerye (Royal Shrine Ritual) is held there regularly. It is consists of
Jongmyo Jeryeak (Ritual Music) played by a vocal and instrumental ensemble and
Ilmu dance with equal numbers of rows and dancers both on all sides. The
Jongmyo Jerye and
Jongmyo Jeryeak are both recognised as Korean Intangible Cultural Assets and are listed by UNESCO as Intangible World Cultural Heritage.
During the Chosun Dynasty,
Jongmyo Jeryeak was held by the Chosun Kings with their participating in the ceremony, but with no Kingdom in present-day Korea, it has now become a Cultural Heritage. In this paper I would like to trace the changes that took place in
Jongmyo Jeryeak focusing in particular on its state during the time of Korea's Colonization by Japan, a time that links the Chosun period with the present day.
With the colonization of Korea by Japan in 1910,
Jongmyo Jeryeak became the responsibility of the
Yiwangjik Aakbu (Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household), an institution created by the
Kunaisho (the predecessor of the present day
Kunaicho). Whenever a ritual was held at Jongmyo, the
Yiwangjik Aakbu would regularly perform and thus there are related materials which remain as public documents. In this paper I will take two kinds of such documents, and analyse the section “Matters relating to the sending of
Aakubuwon”. I was able to get such material for the thirty two
Jongmyo Jerye that took place in the ten years from 1928 to 1938. Through analysis of these documents, differences in practice with present
Jongmyo Jerye became apparent.
In the 1920s and 1930s,
Jongmyo Jerye was held four times a year in each season. In Spring and Autumn, it was performed in two places, at the
Jeong Jeon (or Main Shrine) and the
Yeongnyeong Jeon (or annex), but in Winter and Summer it was only performed at the
Jeong Jeon. The present-day
Jongmyo Jerye is held once a year on the first Sunday of May and is performed both at the
Jeong Jeon and the
Yeongnyeong Jeon.
The musicians of the former
Jongmyo Jeryeak consisted of members of the
Yiwangjik Aakbu as well as other employed musicians independent of this institution. Present day the
Jongmyo Jeryeak Conservation Committee is led by musicians from the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.
Ilmu was performed by 36 male dancers from the
Yiwangjik Aakbu, but now is made up of 64 female dancers from the Gukak National Middle and High School and the
Ilmu Conversation committee.
There is little change in the composition of the instruments used in the
Jongmyo Jeryeak of old and that of today. One interesting point is the absence of the
eo (wooden tiger) in the former. Today there are a lot more people concentrated in the wind and string sections. There is also a principle that each musician only plays one instrument in present day
Jongmyo Jeryeak, whereas in the former it became apparent that a musician would play more than one instrument according to the make up of the ensemble.
Based on the above observations, it can be said that although the
Jongmyo Jeryeak ensemble and
Ilmu dance troupe were smaller in Colonial times, as a result of regular performances at the
Jongmyo Jerye by musicians and dancers from the
Yiwangjik Aakbu four times a year when Korea was liberated in 1945,
Jongmyo Jeryeak did not die out but was maintained by the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, becoming both Korean and World Cultural Heritages.
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