Oeam Folk Village Vegetation

Oeam Village is home to many well preserved traditional houses and gardens established by the Yean Yi Sa-jong clan, who have lived here since the mid-16th century. This village was originally home to several clans. The first person from the Yean Yi Clan to settle here was Yi Sa-Jong, who came here in the mid-16th century to live with his in-laws after marrying the eldest daughter of Jin Han-pyeong. Generations of Yi Sa-jong’s descendant continued living in the area, which eventually became a prosperous upper-class village and produced many talented and influential individuals. The village is named after the pen name of Yi Sa-jong’s fifth generation descendant, the renowned scholar Yi Gan (1677-1727).
The village is situated at the southwestern foot of Seolhwasan Mountain, and thus the land’s altitude increases eastward. Due to this topography, most houses in the village were built facing south or Southwestern foot of Seolhwasan Mountain, and thus the land’s altitude increases eastward. Due to this topography, most houses in the village were built facing south or southwest and are surrounded by stone enclosure walls that protest therefrom the seasonal northwestern wind. Passing through the village is an artificial water channel that carries clear water from Seolwasan Mountain. Gardens and dense forests were built in various places along the channel to create a beautiful landscape. The village includes both upper-class houses with tiled roofs and lower-class houses with thatched roofs, preserving the characteristics of traditional houses in the Chungcheong-do region.
The residents of the village have long performed communal ritual offerings to wish for the village’s peace and prosperity, a tradition that has continued until today. Around the first full moon of the lunar year, rituals are held to honor the stone guardian posts at the village’s entrance and saw-leaf zelkova in the village’s center. The Jippul Cultural Feastival has also been held in the village every October since 2002 in honor of Yi Gan. The festival offers reenactments of the ceremonial occasions of Yi Gan’s life, namely his coming of age ceremony, his passing of the state examination, his wedding, his funeral, and his veneration rituals. The festival also includes various programs through which visitor can experience traditional agriculture and folk performances.Read more