Ojukheon House

Ojukheon is one of the oldest surviving wooden residences in Korea, dating in part to the late fifteenth century, and it matters because of who lived in it. Sin Saimdang, painter, calligrapher and poet, spent much of her life here, and her son Yi I - known by his pen name Yulgok - was born in the Mongnyongsil room in 1536 and became one of the two towering Confucian philosophers of the Joseon period. Both appear on current Korean currency: Yulgok on the five-thousand-won note and Sin Saimdang on the fifty-thousand, the only mother and son to do so anywhere. The house is small and plain, built round a courtyard with a wooden-floored hall, and the name comes from the black-stemmed bamboo growing around it. The grounds hold a memorial hall, a museum of the family's paintings and calligraphy, and Gangneung's municipal museum next door. It is a quiet, modest site with a great deal of national weight attached.

What you actually see

• Mongnyongsil - the room Yulgok was born in.
• The old hall - late-fifteenth-century wooden structure.
• The black bamboo - the grove that names the house.
• The art collection - Sin Saimdang's paintings in the museum.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Closed on some public holidays. Mornings are quiet; school groups come in term time.

Honest expectations

The house is small and plain - its significance is biographical rather than architectural, and it means more with the background. Interpretation in English is partial.

Nearby

Seongyojang estate is a short ride; Gyeongpo lake and beach are nearby.