Chinbong sŏnsaeng ilgo [or] Jinbong seonsaeng ilgo 震峯先生逸稿 [Scattered Drafts by Our Teacher, [Kwŏn of] Thunderous Peak]

Woodblock printed. 57 folding leaves. Two juan in one vol. Large 8vo (313 x 204 mm.), orig. semi-stiff yellow patterned wrappers (upper wrapper a little soiled). [Korea]: 1832 or after.



First edition and very rare; we find no copy in WorldCat. This is the collected poetry and prose by Kwŏn (1575-1652), who lived through the tumultuous years of the early 17th century when Chosŏn Korea was twice invaded by the Manchus. Kwŏn was, from an early age, taught by his father, Kwŏn Tae-gi 權大器, who had studied under one of the most important Neo-Confucian scholars of the Chosŏn period, Yi T'oegye 李退溪 (Yi Hwang 滉, 1501-70). The younger Kwŏn passed a lower-level civil service examination and entered officialdom at a low rank. He served in the royal retinue when the court retreated to Ganghwa island during the 1627 Manchu invasion. Kwŏn was promoted but retired from office, citing illness. After the Manchus invaded the country again, in 1636, Kwŏn withdrew to a cottage at the foot of a peak of Mount Taebaksan called Chinbong 震峯, "Thunderous Peak," whence the name of his posthumously published oeuvre.


The book contains a Preface written by Yi Ya-sun 李野淳 (1755-1831), a ninth-generation descendant of Yi T'oegye, dated 1825 ("fourth ŭlyu since the Chongzhen reign"). An appendix contains eulogies for Kwŏn and an account of Kwŏn's life written by Kim Si-ch'an 金是瓚, dated 1818 ("third muin since the Guangde reign period of the August Ming," referencing the reign name of the abortive rebellion by Yang Qilong 楊起隆 [1633-80]). Kwŏn Hun 權勳, a sixth-generation descendant of Kwŏn Koeng, wrote the colophon, dated 1832 ("fourth imjin since the first year of Chongzhen." Kwŏn Hun described how "I, his unworthy distant descendant, with pain and regret carefully searched far and wide to collect the writings bit by bit, transcribing them for posterity. The years passed as I was putting them in order."


Fine copy.