『Chilgung, the Seven Concubines Who Became the King's Mother』 focuses on the Chilgung (七宮), which held a unique status in the Joseon royal family.
Chilgung is a shrine for the seven concubines who gave birth to kings but did not become queens. It is a separate space created to honor the biological mothers who were not able to attend the Jongmyo Shrine in the Confucian ancestral rites of Joseon.
Jeogyeonggung, Daebingung, Yuksanggung, Yeonhogung, Seonhuigung, Gyeongungung, and Deokangung were originally independent shrines, but during the Japanese colonial period, they were merged into Yuksanggung and integrated under the name of 'Chilgung.'


This book covers the establishment of the Gungwonje system during King Yeongjo's reign, the compilation of the Gungwonsikrye, the operation of the Gungwon during the reigns of King Jeongjo and King Sunjo, and the process of annexation during the Japanese colonial period, and shows in detail the establishment and transformation of the Chilgung.
In particular, based on rare texts and visual materials such as the Bongmodang Mohunseo, the royal genealogy, the royal protocols, and the registers, all housed in Jangseogak, the political and social context in which each palace was formed was concretely restored.
Furthermore, rather than simply viewing Chilgung as a shrine for concubines, it interprets it as a historical layer where filial piety, legitimacy, power, and colonial experience intersect, and redefines the status of Chilgung as a space where the lives of concubines and the royal system intersect.