Erotic Joseon
 |
Description
Book Introduction
A new work by Park Young-gyu, author of the 2 million-selling "The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume."
“The nights of Joseon were more beautiful than the days!”
A glimpse into Joseon's secret sex lives through pornography, obscenities, and scandals.
Bestselling historical author Park Young-gyu returns with his new work, Erotic Joseon.
The author, who has been researching Joseon history for over 20 years, starting with 『Reading the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume』, which was recognized by 2 million readers, breaks the taboo of sex and delves into the strange side of Joseon.
"Erotic Joseon" is a book that vividly restores Joseon's sexual customs, which we were not familiar with, through pornography, obscene language, and scandals.
Contrary to its reputation as the 'Land of Courtesy in the East' and the 'Land of Scholars,' the sexual lives of Joseon people were more daring and intense than any other era, and shook the order of the time.
Even while reciting “Confucius said, Mencius said,” the nobles did not hesitate to grab the gisaeng by the collar in order to get her.
It was common to take female servants under the cover of darkness without the wife's knowledge, and to break the law and principles by having pillow fights with concubines.
While there were those who enjoyed free love with many men, like Eoul-woo-dong and Yu-gam-dong, there were also women who fell into homosexuality while serving as crown princesses.
Sexual acts that went against Confucian reason and common sense, such as incest, child sexual crimes, and mixed marriages, were also openly committed.
This book contains various obscene jokes and scandals collected by the author from the representative collection of six stories from the Joseon Dynasty, 『Eomyeonsun』 and 『The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty』, as well as pornographic paintings by genre painters Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok.
The materials, which exquisitely blend humor and sensuality, testify to the reality of the "Joseon Night," a time of passionate instinct and unconventional sexuality.
"Erotic Joseon" offers a key to understanding Joseon from a multifaceted perspective, moving beyond the narrow view of it as a "Confucian country."
Furthermore, it illuminates the bizarre lives of the gisaeng, court ladies, female doctors, and concubines who became established as erotic symbols of Joseon, and reveals the irony of an era in which harsh order and immoral sensuality coexisted like two sides of a coin.
“The nights of Joseon were more beautiful than the days!”
A glimpse into Joseon's secret sex lives through pornography, obscenities, and scandals.
Bestselling historical author Park Young-gyu returns with his new work, Erotic Joseon.
The author, who has been researching Joseon history for over 20 years, starting with 『Reading the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume』, which was recognized by 2 million readers, breaks the taboo of sex and delves into the strange side of Joseon.
"Erotic Joseon" is a book that vividly restores Joseon's sexual customs, which we were not familiar with, through pornography, obscene language, and scandals.
Contrary to its reputation as the 'Land of Courtesy in the East' and the 'Land of Scholars,' the sexual lives of Joseon people were more daring and intense than any other era, and shook the order of the time.
Even while reciting “Confucius said, Mencius said,” the nobles did not hesitate to grab the gisaeng by the collar in order to get her.
It was common to take female servants under the cover of darkness without the wife's knowledge, and to break the law and principles by having pillow fights with concubines.
While there were those who enjoyed free love with many men, like Eoul-woo-dong and Yu-gam-dong, there were also women who fell into homosexuality while serving as crown princesses.
Sexual acts that went against Confucian reason and common sense, such as incest, child sexual crimes, and mixed marriages, were also openly committed.
This book contains various obscene jokes and scandals collected by the author from the representative collection of six stories from the Joseon Dynasty, 『Eomyeonsun』 and 『The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty』, as well as pornographic paintings by genre painters Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok.
The materials, which exquisitely blend humor and sensuality, testify to the reality of the "Joseon Night," a time of passionate instinct and unconventional sexuality.
"Erotic Joseon" offers a key to understanding Joseon from a multifaceted perspective, moving beyond the narrow view of it as a "Confucian country."
Furthermore, it illuminates the bizarre lives of the gisaeng, court ladies, female doctors, and concubines who became established as erotic symbols of Joseon, and reveals the irony of an era in which harsh order and immoral sensuality coexisted like two sides of a coin.
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index
Introductory remarks.
Revealing Joseon's Eros and bare face
Part 1.
Women who became erotic symbols
1.
Flower that understands speech, parasite
-Everyone's lover and companion of elegance
-Parasites, who are they?
The parasite scandal that shook the Office of the Inspector General
-The Ming envoy who was blinded by love and deceived the emperor
A battle ensues over parasites.
- An irresistible request, a pillow fight
-The Gisaengs Who Captured the King's Heart
-The timeless visionary, Hwang Jin-i of the bright moon
2.
Women who had to look only at the king, court ladies
-What kind of being is a court lady?
-What did the maids do?
- Difficult selection and training
- Their secret and dangerous sexuality, gluttony
-You're holding a man who isn't a king!
-The lonely later years of a court lady who left the palace
-Men who have court ladies as concubines
-The flood's change, the seed of political strife
-Joseon's Cinderella, Lady Jang Hui-bin
-Sukbin Choi, who became the king's mother in Musuri
3.
Between a female doctor and a pharmacy gisaeng, a female doctor
-The Birth of Yeoui
-From beginner to female physician
From midwife to police officer, become an all-rounder.
-An unfortunate marriage
-How did the female doctor become the best concubine?
-Be at the center of a scandal
-Doctors who left their mark on medicine
4.
A hundred tears, a hundred pounds of sorrow, a concubine
-The Women's War Begins
-An object that is not something that can be taken or stolen
-How to live as a concubine
-The weakest of the weak, the life of a servant
- Covet the position of the first lady
Part 2.
The eroticism of pornography and pornography
5.
Erotic art, pornography
-How did Chunhwa come into being?
-The secret to immortality contained in the "Girl's Mirror"
-Chunhwa, digging into the Korean Peninsula
-Joseon's sexual customs as seen through pornography
6.
The Barometer of Lust and Romance, Yukdam
- A masterpiece of obscene language collection, 『Eomyeonsun』
-The difficulties faced by a happily married couple
-Maidservants who have become their master's playthings
-The condition of the best groom, penis
-Sex education for young brides and grooms
-Cunnilingus and fellatio
Part 3.
Sexuality and Scandal in Joseon
7.
Joseon's Sex Spectrum
-The 'bad hand' extended to the maid
-Become a thorn in the wife's side
-Children in the blind spot of crime
-Should I open the coffin and find the missing penis?
-The reason they died at the hands of their wives
-The secret story of the Byun siblings
-In the miserable words of incest
-Secret love affair that goes against the laws of nature
-The corruption of monks
-Eunuch, committing adultery
-People who are after the eunuch's wife
8.
The scandal that rocked the palace
- Prince Yangnyeong, known as a great debaucher
-The story of Sejong's daughter-in-law falling into homosexuality
"Freedom Madam" Yoo Gam-dong turns the court upside down.
-Joseon's femme fatale, Eoulwoodong
-A person who is neither male nor female, a person who is neither in the four directions nor in the four directions
Revealing Joseon's Eros and bare face
Part 1.
Women who became erotic symbols
1.
Flower that understands speech, parasite
-Everyone's lover and companion of elegance
-Parasites, who are they?
The parasite scandal that shook the Office of the Inspector General
-The Ming envoy who was blinded by love and deceived the emperor
A battle ensues over parasites.
- An irresistible request, a pillow fight
-The Gisaengs Who Captured the King's Heart
-The timeless visionary, Hwang Jin-i of the bright moon
2.
Women who had to look only at the king, court ladies
-What kind of being is a court lady?
-What did the maids do?
- Difficult selection and training
- Their secret and dangerous sexuality, gluttony
-You're holding a man who isn't a king!
-The lonely later years of a court lady who left the palace
-Men who have court ladies as concubines
-The flood's change, the seed of political strife
-Joseon's Cinderella, Lady Jang Hui-bin
-Sukbin Choi, who became the king's mother in Musuri
3.
Between a female doctor and a pharmacy gisaeng, a female doctor
-The Birth of Yeoui
-From beginner to female physician
From midwife to police officer, become an all-rounder.
-An unfortunate marriage
-How did the female doctor become the best concubine?
-Be at the center of a scandal
-Doctors who left their mark on medicine
4.
A hundred tears, a hundred pounds of sorrow, a concubine
-The Women's War Begins
-An object that is not something that can be taken or stolen
-How to live as a concubine
-The weakest of the weak, the life of a servant
- Covet the position of the first lady
Part 2.
The eroticism of pornography and pornography
5.
Erotic art, pornography
-How did Chunhwa come into being?
-The secret to immortality contained in the "Girl's Mirror"
-Chunhwa, digging into the Korean Peninsula
-Joseon's sexual customs as seen through pornography
6.
The Barometer of Lust and Romance, Yukdam
- A masterpiece of obscene language collection, 『Eomyeonsun』
-The difficulties faced by a happily married couple
-Maidservants who have become their master's playthings
-The condition of the best groom, penis
-Sex education for young brides and grooms
-Cunnilingus and fellatio
Part 3.
Sexuality and Scandal in Joseon
7.
Joseon's Sex Spectrum
-The 'bad hand' extended to the maid
-Become a thorn in the wife's side
-Children in the blind spot of crime
-Should I open the coffin and find the missing penis?
-The reason they died at the hands of their wives
-The secret story of the Byun siblings
-In the miserable words of incest
-Secret love affair that goes against the laws of nature
-The corruption of monks
-Eunuch, committing adultery
-People who are after the eunuch's wife
8.
The scandal that rocked the palace
- Prince Yangnyeong, known as a great debaucher
-The story of Sejong's daughter-in-law falling into homosexuality
"Freedom Madam" Yoo Gam-dong turns the court upside down.
-Joseon's femme fatale, Eoulwoodong
-A person who is neither male nor female, a person who is neither in the four directions nor in the four directions
Into the book
Since ancient times, Pyongyang has been famous as a city of beauty, as it was the gateway for Chinese envoys.
Officials preferred to be appointed as Pyongyang governor, which is where the saying, “If you don’t want to be Pyongyang governor, then just leave it at that” originated.
(……)
When you think of Bukcheong, you often think of water vendors, but during the Joseon Dynasty, it was famous for having many gisaengs.
The number of officials belonging to the Hamgyeong-do Nambyeongyeong located in Bukcheong was close to 400.
However, that does not mean that Bukcheong gisaengs were popular.
This is because most of them were weavers who served as local wives for military officers guarding the border.
One story says that if a person from Bukcheong had three daughters, he would marry one off to a farmer, sell one to a shaman, and turn the rest into gisaeng.
Among the Bukcheong gisaengs, many came from poor families in the region. --- p.27
Jang Nok-su was a married woman who married Prince Jeon's servant and had one son.
Afterwards, she learned to dance and sing and became a prostitute, and her skills were outstanding.
It is said that her face was very young for her age, and that even though she was thirty, she looked as pretty as a sixteen-year-old girl.
(……) Unlike the other concubines, Jang Nok-su mocked Yeonsangun like a child and cursed him like a slave.
Oddly enough, Yeonsangun was fascinated by that aspect.
According to the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Jang Nok-su was mentioned as having “no more than the appearance of a middle-aged man, but no one could compare to his secret teacher and his charming demeanor.”
--- p.48
Originally, the Daesik was a system in which palace maids invited their family and relatives into the palace to eat together.
It seems that this has become an excuse for many people to enjoy homosexuality.
(……) Women who enjoyed big meals were called the ‘Mattdol Couple.’
The principle of the millstone is to grind grain by placing it between flat stones, and it is expressed by comparing it to the act of women touching their genitals.
Even if they weren't homosexuals, there were ways for the court ladies to relieve their sexual desires.
A representative example is the phallic tree, which symbolizes the shape of a male genitalia.
Although its actual purpose is not clearly known, it was likely a self-defense tool or a talisman. --- p.72
The nine methods, eight benefits, and seven losses are the core of the art of warding off evil presented in the 『Small Girl’s Sutra』.
The nine most basic techniques of intercourse are the nine methods of intercourse, and the eight methods of intercourse are the eight methods of making men's bodies healthy and treating women's illnesses.
Chilsun is a seven-step method to cure the symptoms caused by improper sexual intercourse.
In this way, 『Girl's Mirror』 introduces 24 positions necessary for sexual intercourse between men and women, and it is widely believed that depicting these positions is the origin of pornography. --- p.167
The most important part of the correction day is the good day for the merger, that is, the day of return.
In other words, it was also called 'the day of sowing seeds'.
In the Joseon Dynasty, when there was a strong preference for sons, a good seed meant a son, so Guisukil was a day suitable for conceiving an excellent son.
(……)
It is not known who set the date of return.
Although the basis is uncertain, looking at the content, we can see that it is based on the theory of yin-yang and the five elements.
In fact, many women in the Joseon Dynasty memorized or carried the date of their return home, and the phrases 'Chun-gap-eul (春甲乙), Habyeong-jeong (夏丙丁), Chu-gyeong-sin (秋庚辛), and Dong-im-gye (冬任癸)' are representative. --- p.224
It should be seen that child sexual abuse by the powerful and wealthy did not occur, but was covered up.
Some of them even openly touched the girl.
Older men used the excuse of rejuvenation to live with young girls and enjoy sexual relations.
A girl like this was called a dongnyeo (童女).
The poor lower classes often sold their daughters to rich families, and it was even considered filial piety for a son to take a young girl in to help his old father.
At that time, child sexual abuse among the wealthy was rampant.
Therefore, the seven child sexual abuse cases recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty are merely records of a few powerless, low-status criminals. --- p.248
Eunuchs were unable to have sexual intercourse because their scrotums were cut off.
Nevertheless, all of Joseon's eunuchs were married.
Because her husband was an eunuch, the eunuch's wife was unable to avoid being left alone for the rest of her life.
So who would volunteer to be a eunuch's wife?
Most of the women who became eunuchs' wives were either sold because their families were too poor, or were sacrificed for their parents' advancement.
In this situation, many eunuchs' wives became the center of rumors.
(……) Looking into the details, it was difficult to dismiss it as a simple affair, but it was due to a strange rumor that had spread among the students.
That is, if you have an affair with a eunuch's wife, you will pass the civil service examination.
Officials preferred to be appointed as Pyongyang governor, which is where the saying, “If you don’t want to be Pyongyang governor, then just leave it at that” originated.
(……)
When you think of Bukcheong, you often think of water vendors, but during the Joseon Dynasty, it was famous for having many gisaengs.
The number of officials belonging to the Hamgyeong-do Nambyeongyeong located in Bukcheong was close to 400.
However, that does not mean that Bukcheong gisaengs were popular.
This is because most of them were weavers who served as local wives for military officers guarding the border.
One story says that if a person from Bukcheong had three daughters, he would marry one off to a farmer, sell one to a shaman, and turn the rest into gisaeng.
Among the Bukcheong gisaengs, many came from poor families in the region. --- p.27
Jang Nok-su was a married woman who married Prince Jeon's servant and had one son.
Afterwards, she learned to dance and sing and became a prostitute, and her skills were outstanding.
It is said that her face was very young for her age, and that even though she was thirty, she looked as pretty as a sixteen-year-old girl.
(……) Unlike the other concubines, Jang Nok-su mocked Yeonsangun like a child and cursed him like a slave.
Oddly enough, Yeonsangun was fascinated by that aspect.
According to the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Jang Nok-su was mentioned as having “no more than the appearance of a middle-aged man, but no one could compare to his secret teacher and his charming demeanor.”
--- p.48
Originally, the Daesik was a system in which palace maids invited their family and relatives into the palace to eat together.
It seems that this has become an excuse for many people to enjoy homosexuality.
(……) Women who enjoyed big meals were called the ‘Mattdol Couple.’
The principle of the millstone is to grind grain by placing it between flat stones, and it is expressed by comparing it to the act of women touching their genitals.
Even if they weren't homosexuals, there were ways for the court ladies to relieve their sexual desires.
A representative example is the phallic tree, which symbolizes the shape of a male genitalia.
Although its actual purpose is not clearly known, it was likely a self-defense tool or a talisman. --- p.72
The nine methods, eight benefits, and seven losses are the core of the art of warding off evil presented in the 『Small Girl’s Sutra』.
The nine most basic techniques of intercourse are the nine methods of intercourse, and the eight methods of intercourse are the eight methods of making men's bodies healthy and treating women's illnesses.
Chilsun is a seven-step method to cure the symptoms caused by improper sexual intercourse.
In this way, 『Girl's Mirror』 introduces 24 positions necessary for sexual intercourse between men and women, and it is widely believed that depicting these positions is the origin of pornography. --- p.167
The most important part of the correction day is the good day for the merger, that is, the day of return.
In other words, it was also called 'the day of sowing seeds'.
In the Joseon Dynasty, when there was a strong preference for sons, a good seed meant a son, so Guisukil was a day suitable for conceiving an excellent son.
(……)
It is not known who set the date of return.
Although the basis is uncertain, looking at the content, we can see that it is based on the theory of yin-yang and the five elements.
In fact, many women in the Joseon Dynasty memorized or carried the date of their return home, and the phrases 'Chun-gap-eul (春甲乙), Habyeong-jeong (夏丙丁), Chu-gyeong-sin (秋庚辛), and Dong-im-gye (冬任癸)' are representative. --- p.224
It should be seen that child sexual abuse by the powerful and wealthy did not occur, but was covered up.
Some of them even openly touched the girl.
Older men used the excuse of rejuvenation to live with young girls and enjoy sexual relations.
A girl like this was called a dongnyeo (童女).
The poor lower classes often sold their daughters to rich families, and it was even considered filial piety for a son to take a young girl in to help his old father.
At that time, child sexual abuse among the wealthy was rampant.
Therefore, the seven child sexual abuse cases recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty are merely records of a few powerless, low-status criminals. --- p.248
Eunuchs were unable to have sexual intercourse because their scrotums were cut off.
Nevertheless, all of Joseon's eunuchs were married.
Because her husband was an eunuch, the eunuch's wife was unable to avoid being left alone for the rest of her life.
So who would volunteer to be a eunuch's wife?
Most of the women who became eunuchs' wives were either sold because their families were too poor, or were sacrificed for their parents' advancement.
In this situation, many eunuchs' wives became the center of rumors.
(……) Looking into the details, it was difficult to dismiss it as a simple affair, but it was due to a strange rumor that had spread among the students.
That is, if you have an affair with a eunuch's wife, you will pass the civil service examination.
--- p.284~285
Publisher's Review
“We still don’t know Joseon!”
The author of the 2 million-selling 『Reading the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume』 tells us
A surprising twist hidden in Joseon, the "Confucian nation."
Joseon, a country with a strict social order and Confucianism as its national doctrine.
Perhaps that is why the country of Joseon is followed by such empty words as ‘the land of courtesy in the East’, ‘the land of scholars’, and ‘the land of the calm morning’.
Were the Joseon people as decent, noble, and ascetic as we imagine? Bestselling author Park Young-gyu, whose book "The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume," which sold over two million copies, dismisses such questions with a resounding, "We still don't know Joseon."
His new work, "Erotic Joseon," delves into the previously unknown sensual side of Joseon.
The author, who has compiled our history from the Three Kingdoms period to the present in the "Sillok in One Volume" series over the past 20 years, says that Joseon was a country that was as faithful to sexual instinct as it was to Confucian reason.
It was common for noblemen who recited “Confucius said, Mencius said” to grab gisaengs by the collars in the middle of the street and break laws and principles by arguing with their concubines on the pillow.
There were women who enjoyed free love with many men, like Eoul-woo-dong and Yu-gam-dong, and there was also a crown princess who fell into homosexuality.
Even by today's standards, it is shocking that a family committed incest as a group and that a noble daughter led a group orgy.
If 'Joseon's Day' revolved around a cool sense of ethics, 'Joseon's Night' wriggled with hot instincts.
This book, which revives the long-seal'd eroticism of Joseon, provides a new framework for viewing Joseon, breaking free from the narrow view of it as a "Confucian nation."
〉〉A collection of representative erotic paintings from the Joseon Dynasty〈〈
“The nights of Joseon were more beautiful than the days!”
A glimpse into Joseon's sexual customs through pornography and obscene language
Sex has long been a subject of great concern to humans, as it has been confined to the realm of taboo.
The Joseon Dynasty, which is closely related to us both historically and emotionally, is bound to attract even more attention.
You must have thought this at least once while watching the racy sex scenes in movies like “The Tale of the Blind Man,” “Portrait of a Beauty,” “The Obscene Scholar,” and “Scandal.”
"Did such sexual desires exist in the Joseon Dynasty? How did their nights unfold?"
"Erotic Joseon" reveals Joseon's sexual customs, which have been shrouded in mystery, and satisfies readers' secret curiosity.
The sexual lives of Joseon people, as seen through historically verified sources such as the erotic paintings of genre painters Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok, and the representative collection of poems from the Joseon Dynasty, 『Eomyeonsun』, are so bold that they evoke unexpected pleasure.
A gisaeng with a pipe in her mouth captivates the vulgar with her sensual gestures, and the madam of a wealthy family and a monk are busy having a secret affair.
In broad daylight, three men and women are having sex, while an ambitious female servant accepts her master's evil intentions and dreams of rising in social status.
From oral sex to woman-on-top, there are many ways to enjoy sexual pleasure.
In Joseon society, sexuality was an everyday problem for some.
The sight of a happily married couple trying to have sex without their children's knowledge and suffering ("Ojajobu", "Wonilcheonggeum") and the sight of an old man struggling with erectile dysfunction ("Chuhwado") are both humorous.
The scenes of adults subtly giving advice to the new groom on how to have sex and the women of the boudoir tearfully trying to conceive a child strangely overlap with today's landscape.
In addition, the sex lives of the common people unfold in a panoramic manner, exquisitely blending sensuality and humor, including a wife who suppresses her husband's infidelity, a slave couple who are caught by their master while having fun in the fields, and a woman who chooses her husband based on the size of his penis.
“What choice did King Sejong’s daughter-in-law, Lady Bong, make after much deliberation?”
“How did Eoulwoo-dong and Yugam-dong become Joseon’s ‘Freedom Madams’?”
The secret stories of historical figures collected from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
The author, who has been researching Joseon history for over 20 years, introduces scandals collected from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in this book.
King Sejong, who was a virtuous king, took revenge when his son's wife became another man's concubine after his son died young, while King Yeonsangun, who was a tyrant, turned a blind eye to the adultery of a court lady who was supposed to remain chaste.
Crown Princess Bong, Sejong's daughter-in-law, could not bear her husband's cold treatment and enjoyed homosexual relations with a court lady named Sosang. Meanwhile, Eoul-woo-dong and Yu-gam-dong, who were women from prestigious families, practiced free love by associating with over 30 men, from noblemen to slaves.
From Prince Yangnyeong, who had a love triangle with his uncle because of a woman, to Jeong Nan-jeong, who rose to the position of Lady Jeonggyeong from a concubine thanks to Queen Munjeong's power, to Dae Jang-geum, who gained King Jungjong's trust and became the first woman to become the king's personal physician, to the ruthless King Sukjong, who used his wives as pawns to turn the political situation around.
The events that shook the land of quiet morning unfold like a thousand and one nights.
“How different is it now from 500 years ago?”
A History of Power Read Through the Castle
The author does not stop at illuminating Joseon's sensual sexuality, but also points out the power relations and social contradictions hidden behind it.
In Joseon society, the people who held the privileged position were men, and among them, the Yangban.
There were few men with power and wealth who did not have close relationships with gisaengs or concubines.
Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok, who was called the Songdo Samjeol, the renowned Confucian scholars Yulgok Yi I and Songgang Jeong Cheol, and Hoejae Yi Eon-jeok, a leading figure in the Yeongnam Sarim, were no exception.
Kings and prime ministers were no different, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire Joseon society was an arena for the affections of powerful and wealthy men.
While Joseon men used their power to satisfy their sexual desires, women were forced into an unreasonable reality, burdened with the burden of being an 'erotic symbol.'
Gisaengs were called 'roadside flowers' and lived in fear of being plucked by anyone at any time. Palace maids spent their prime years in vain, waiting for a chance to win the king's favor. Medical women were often summoned to drinking parties and ended up becoming concubines of the powerful.
Even if they committed adultery, their wives were punished more severely, being charged with the seven deadly sins.
Their sorrow and joy provide an opportunity to examine the roots of the oppression of the weak that continues to this day.
The author of the 2 million-selling 『Reading the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume』 tells us
A surprising twist hidden in Joseon, the "Confucian nation."
Joseon, a country with a strict social order and Confucianism as its national doctrine.
Perhaps that is why the country of Joseon is followed by such empty words as ‘the land of courtesy in the East’, ‘the land of scholars’, and ‘the land of the calm morning’.
Were the Joseon people as decent, noble, and ascetic as we imagine? Bestselling author Park Young-gyu, whose book "The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in One Volume," which sold over two million copies, dismisses such questions with a resounding, "We still don't know Joseon."
His new work, "Erotic Joseon," delves into the previously unknown sensual side of Joseon.
The author, who has compiled our history from the Three Kingdoms period to the present in the "Sillok in One Volume" series over the past 20 years, says that Joseon was a country that was as faithful to sexual instinct as it was to Confucian reason.
It was common for noblemen who recited “Confucius said, Mencius said” to grab gisaengs by the collars in the middle of the street and break laws and principles by arguing with their concubines on the pillow.
There were women who enjoyed free love with many men, like Eoul-woo-dong and Yu-gam-dong, and there was also a crown princess who fell into homosexuality.
Even by today's standards, it is shocking that a family committed incest as a group and that a noble daughter led a group orgy.
If 'Joseon's Day' revolved around a cool sense of ethics, 'Joseon's Night' wriggled with hot instincts.
This book, which revives the long-seal'd eroticism of Joseon, provides a new framework for viewing Joseon, breaking free from the narrow view of it as a "Confucian nation."
〉〉A collection of representative erotic paintings from the Joseon Dynasty〈〈
“The nights of Joseon were more beautiful than the days!”
A glimpse into Joseon's sexual customs through pornography and obscene language
Sex has long been a subject of great concern to humans, as it has been confined to the realm of taboo.
The Joseon Dynasty, which is closely related to us both historically and emotionally, is bound to attract even more attention.
You must have thought this at least once while watching the racy sex scenes in movies like “The Tale of the Blind Man,” “Portrait of a Beauty,” “The Obscene Scholar,” and “Scandal.”
"Did such sexual desires exist in the Joseon Dynasty? How did their nights unfold?"
"Erotic Joseon" reveals Joseon's sexual customs, which have been shrouded in mystery, and satisfies readers' secret curiosity.
The sexual lives of Joseon people, as seen through historically verified sources such as the erotic paintings of genre painters Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok, and the representative collection of poems from the Joseon Dynasty, 『Eomyeonsun』, are so bold that they evoke unexpected pleasure.
A gisaeng with a pipe in her mouth captivates the vulgar with her sensual gestures, and the madam of a wealthy family and a monk are busy having a secret affair.
In broad daylight, three men and women are having sex, while an ambitious female servant accepts her master's evil intentions and dreams of rising in social status.
From oral sex to woman-on-top, there are many ways to enjoy sexual pleasure.
In Joseon society, sexuality was an everyday problem for some.
The sight of a happily married couple trying to have sex without their children's knowledge and suffering ("Ojajobu", "Wonilcheonggeum") and the sight of an old man struggling with erectile dysfunction ("Chuhwado") are both humorous.
The scenes of adults subtly giving advice to the new groom on how to have sex and the women of the boudoir tearfully trying to conceive a child strangely overlap with today's landscape.
In addition, the sex lives of the common people unfold in a panoramic manner, exquisitely blending sensuality and humor, including a wife who suppresses her husband's infidelity, a slave couple who are caught by their master while having fun in the fields, and a woman who chooses her husband based on the size of his penis.
“What choice did King Sejong’s daughter-in-law, Lady Bong, make after much deliberation?”
“How did Eoulwoo-dong and Yugam-dong become Joseon’s ‘Freedom Madams’?”
The secret stories of historical figures collected from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
The author, who has been researching Joseon history for over 20 years, introduces scandals collected from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in this book.
King Sejong, who was a virtuous king, took revenge when his son's wife became another man's concubine after his son died young, while King Yeonsangun, who was a tyrant, turned a blind eye to the adultery of a court lady who was supposed to remain chaste.
Crown Princess Bong, Sejong's daughter-in-law, could not bear her husband's cold treatment and enjoyed homosexual relations with a court lady named Sosang. Meanwhile, Eoul-woo-dong and Yu-gam-dong, who were women from prestigious families, practiced free love by associating with over 30 men, from noblemen to slaves.
From Prince Yangnyeong, who had a love triangle with his uncle because of a woman, to Jeong Nan-jeong, who rose to the position of Lady Jeonggyeong from a concubine thanks to Queen Munjeong's power, to Dae Jang-geum, who gained King Jungjong's trust and became the first woman to become the king's personal physician, to the ruthless King Sukjong, who used his wives as pawns to turn the political situation around.
The events that shook the land of quiet morning unfold like a thousand and one nights.
“How different is it now from 500 years ago?”
A History of Power Read Through the Castle
The author does not stop at illuminating Joseon's sensual sexuality, but also points out the power relations and social contradictions hidden behind it.
In Joseon society, the people who held the privileged position were men, and among them, the Yangban.
There were few men with power and wealth who did not have close relationships with gisaengs or concubines.
Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok, who was called the Songdo Samjeol, the renowned Confucian scholars Yulgok Yi I and Songgang Jeong Cheol, and Hoejae Yi Eon-jeok, a leading figure in the Yeongnam Sarim, were no exception.
Kings and prime ministers were no different, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire Joseon society was an arena for the affections of powerful and wealthy men.
While Joseon men used their power to satisfy their sexual desires, women were forced into an unreasonable reality, burdened with the burden of being an 'erotic symbol.'
Gisaengs were called 'roadside flowers' and lived in fear of being plucked by anyone at any time. Palace maids spent their prime years in vain, waiting for a chance to win the king's favor. Medical women were often summoned to drinking parties and ended up becoming concubines of the powerful.
Even if they committed adultery, their wives were punished more severely, being charged with the seven deadly sins.
Their sorrow and joy provide an opportunity to examine the roots of the oppression of the weak that continues to this day.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of publication: July 22, 2019
- Page count, weight, size: 322 pages | 554g | 145*215*30mm
- ISBN13: 9788901233024
- ISBN10: 8901233029
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