Bunjaegi or the documents of property distributions, are uniques sources of the Joseon dynasty that reveals unprecedented insight into the everyday life of the Joseon Dynasty society. Originally published to accompany the 2014 Jangseogak Special Exhibition, this catalog includes approximately 100 objects that demonstrate the hidden details of the social life of the Joseon people, and maybe more importantly, the changes over time. Now translated in English, included in this work are precious records demonstrating how the wealth was distributed before and after the death of the bequeather, and how various actors - members of the Royal family, prominent yangban aristocrats families, commoners, females and even nobi slaves - each participated in the acts of property distribution. The documents, the essays, and the translations will lead the readers to a new experience and clearly show why the Bunjaegi documents are more than simply wills.
Jangseogak Archives of The Academy of Korean Studies
Royal Archives and Library
I. Property Distribution: Principles and Ideals
1. Documents of Property Distribution: Origin and Classification
2. Different Forms of Property Distribution
3. Notarization of Distributed Property
II. Inheritance Practices of the Royal Family
III. Property Distribution in Early Joseon-The Era of Gender Equality
1. Property Management in Early Joseon
2. Emergence of Ancestral Service Responsibilities
3. Significance of Equal Distribution Practices in Early Joseon
IV. Property Distribution in Late Joseon-Family Rules that Turned Joseon into a Patriarchal Society
1. Increase in Ancestral Service Reserve
2. Rise of Special Treatment towards the Head Families
V. Various Different Types of Special Bequeathal
1. Special Bequeathals in Celebration of Weddings
2. Special Bequeathals in Celebration of Passing of Civil Service Examination
3. Special Bequeathal in Praise of Filial Piety
4. Special Bequeathal as Expression of Love
VI. Women in the Property Distribution
1. Bequeathals Led by Women
2. Bequeathals in Consideration of the Socially Disadvantaged
VII. Property Distribution Among Commoners and Slaves
Appendix
List of Plates