The veneration performed at Dosanseowon, for which the officiants start to prepare three days before the veneration at Dongjae and Seojae, still strictly adheres to the protocol composed by Yi Hwang and is regarded as the standard for all Korean seowon.
Yi Hwang created a set of rules for the venerations conducted at seowon by revising the protocol used by Sosuseowon.
When preparing the foods to be used for a veneration, one of the procedures was called “seokmirae,” in which rice was washed at a pond at the entrance of the seowon (called “yeoljeong”) nine times, with the number counted aloud each time. Today, rice is washed at a faucet near where the pond used to be. When burning incense, unlike at other seowon, the incense urn is placed on the ceremonial table before putting in incense.
The Chunchuhyangsa of Dosanseowon is held on the second and eighth lunar month of each year.

A native of Andong, Yi Hwang played a leading role in modifying China’s version of Neo-Confucianism in a way that best suits Korea’s circumstances so that it could take root in the country. Yi Hwang’s books on Neo-Confucianism were invaluable resources for the people of Joseon. Yi’s theories were introduced to Japan after the Imjin Invasions and had a significant impact on Japanese Neo-Confucianism scholars as well.
Yi Hwang was active in the seowon movement of the mid- to late-16th century. His reason for building seowon was “because we must cultivate sarim, who are responsible for the era in which they live.” The sarim produced by the seowon were the elite of Joseon: literati who were well-trained in the ideology of Taoism. As such, Yi Hwang was a central figure in the establishment and dissemination of Neo-Confucianism in Korea.
Sangdeoksa, the shrine of Dosanseowon, also houses the ancestral tablets of Yi Hwang’s student, Cho Mok (1524-1606). Having become Yi’s student at the age of 16, Cho Mok occupied several high-ranking government positions (including governor of Bonghwa and a vice minister-grade position). Cho was also an accomplished scholar. After Yi died, Cho began to teach at a seodang, just like his teacher, and dedicated himself to publishing a collection of Yi’s writings.

Learning at Dosanseowon was done through debates in a gathering called ganghoe, which is roughly similar to today’s symposiums or seminar-type gatherings. Members of the ganghoe actively discussed a wide range of philosophical issues related to Neo-Confucianism, and it is through such discussions that several different schools of thought were able to merge their varying stances.
Ganghoerok is a document that records, in significant detail, the processes of these discussions and offers valuable insights into how Neo-Confucianism was taught and learned at Dosanseowon.

Dosanseowon was also the site of active exchanges (and creation) of sarim literature. Members of the sarim who visited the seowon composed many sophisticated poems: today, there are about 3,000 surviving poems, most of which are based on the theme of the natural surroundings of Dosanseowon. One of the most famous is “Dosan Jabyeong,” a collection of poems, by Yi Hwang. The seowon was also visited often by skilled painters of Joseon who wanted to paint the beautiful natural scenery.