Piramseowon, the center of academic learning in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do (which was regarded as the center of the “academic web” in southwestern Korea), was established in 1590 by local Neo-Confucian scholars to commemorate the academic learning of Kim In-hu.

Piramseowon is located on a flat, wide lot with a large field in front of it. After passing the red spiked gate, hamaseok, and an old gingko tree, one arrives at the main gate: Hwakyeonnu. The gate’s name Hwakyeon (廓然), means “as clean and impartial as the heart of Kim In-hu.” After passing through Hwakyeonnu, which was also a resting area for students, one reaches the main learning area: Cheongjeoldang, which means “to enter government office with a spirit of integrity and moral cleanliness.”
Behind Cheongjeoldang are Jindeokjae and Sunguijae, which face each other. At the upper left of Cheongjeoldang is Gyeongjanggak, whose name means “to respectfully preserve the relics of kings and one’s ancestors.” The name board of Gyeongjanggak was written by King Jeongjo, and the building is characterized by the three dragon heads on each of the roof’s four raised corners. The reason the dragons were placed on the roof is because the building holds royal relics (dragon ornaments are found on the roofs of palace buildings as a symbol of the king). At the age of 34, Kim In-hu served as the teacher of the crown prince, who would later become King Injong. The crown prince was impressed with the learning and integrity of Kim In-hu and is said to have created for his teacher a painting of bamboo trees. This painting was kept at Gyeongjanggak for many years, after which it was donated by the descendants of Kim In-hu to the Gwangju National Museum.

After passing through a gate on the right, one arrives at the shrine: Udongsa. The shrine, whose name means “Kim In-hu, a teacher who was born with the help of heaven in the East,” houses the ancestral tablets of two individuals: Kim In-hu in the center and Yang Ja-jing (who was Kim’s son-in-law) on the right.
At Piramseowon, the main learning area and Dongjae and Seojae all face the shrine, as if showing respect. It is considered the prototypical flat layout of a seowon that values respect for great thinkers. To the east of Udongsa’s clay wall is Jangpangak, which preserves the woodblocks that were used to print students’ books. The learning area, shrine, and miscellaneous facilities are, in a sense, strictly separated by walls. But they can also be easily accessed through the doors of varying sizes in the walls.

Piramseowon, which was a key station of uibyeong (righteous soldier) activity by the Jeolla-do sarim resistance to Japanese forces, was burned to the ground during the Hideyoshi Invasion and rebuilt in 1624 in Jeungsan-dong, Hwangryong-myeon. In 1659, students wrote a petition asking for the seowon to be supported by the king. In reply, King Hyojong sent a name board on which he had written the name “Piramseowon.” The word “piram” (筆巖), which literally means “brush rock,” is said to have been given because the king’s hometown had a rock that was shaped like a brush. Piramseowon was moved to its current location in 1672.

Today, Jangseong-gun is working to globalize Piramseowon’s literati culture through programs such as a seowon stay and traditional culture experiences and creating an exhibition space for seowon records.