‘Seongjae’ is the hanging wooden plaque of the pavilion in Bupo-ri, Yean-myeon, Andong. The term ‘Seongjae’ was taken from the pen name of Geum Nansu (1530-1604), with the letter ‘Seong’ indicating ‘awakening,’ the sensible and clear state of the mind without being distracted. According to Supplementary Annotations to the Classic of the Mind and Heart, “Xie Shangcai of the Song Dynasty wrote that ‘Self-reverence always leads to awakening awareness. [敬是常惺惺法]” As a disciple of Yi Hwang, Geum Nansu was never remiss in learning and practising in daily life and was deeply inspired by the Classic of the Mind and Heart.
The calligraphy letters were written by Yi Hwang in the square style. Two extra large characters fill up the wide space of this big hanging wooden plaque. Big strokes are well sustained by bone-like, sinewy, and fleshy elements. Characters are in orderly shape, written tidy and neat. There is a natural balance between a square character ’惺‘ and a tall character ‘齋.’ In spite of its extra big size, The script looks more peaceful than majestic, which suggests a touch of the competent calligrapher.