4) The Restoration of Seungjeongwon Ilgi
The Ilgicheong(日記廳), or the Office of Diaries, was established in
May 1746, the 22nd year of King Yeongjo, when it was decided to
restore the diaries of the 99 years from 1623 (the 1st year of King Injo)
to 1721 (the 1st year of King Gyeongjong). In 1747, the next year, 548
diaries were completely restored. This was only about a third of the
total 1,796 diaries that had been handed down since the dynasty's
founding. Yet, the restored diaries were based on authentic recordings,
including Jobo, or The Court Gazette, Chunbang Ilgi(春坊日記), or
The Diaries of Crown Princes, Gaksa Deungnok(各司謄錄), or Records
of Government Administration, and Danghu Ilgi, or The Diaries of the
Scribes. At the end of each day's entry were written the names of references
and of the persons who had done the restoration, to ensure the authenticity of
the records. The Seungjeongwon suffered from a fire on March 7, 1888 (the 25th year of King Gojong). 361 diaries
out of 480 recording the reigns of King Cheoljong and King Gojong, which were kept in the left depository of
Seungjeongwon,
were burnt to ashes. The Ilgicheong, or the Office of Diaries, was established in August 1889.
Under the responsibility
of the prime minister, restoration of the destroyed diaries was completed in 1890.
The authentic data in the restored
diaries was restored from diverse channels, including Jobo, or The Court Gazette, Gaksa Deungnok, or Records of
Government Administration, and Danghu Ilgi, or The Diaries of the
Scribes.
The efforts the secretaries and scribes poured into keeping intact the royal diaries with utmost
authenticity enabled
their handing down without a single loss from 1623(the 1st year of King Injo) to 1907, until
the royal secretariat's duties
were abolished under Japanese colonial rule. |
