Deokbong Seowon
Deokbong Seowon is the hanging wooden plaque in Deokbong Seowon Confucian Academy that was built in honor of the virtue of Park Ga-gwon (?-1426) in Suryun-ri, Suryun-myeon, Seongju-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. The plaque was donated by the Lord Panyun branch of the Suncheon Kim Clan, and it measures 186 cm in width and 57.6 cm in height. When Joseon was founded, instead of serving in a government post in the Joseon Dynasty, in order to protect his loyalty to the former Goryeo Dynasty, he retired to Seongju because he did not want to serve two kings. At the time of its construction it is thought that the Confucian academy was named Deokbong (德峯) in honor of Park Ga-gwon’s virtue.
The calligraphy is written in the semi-cursive script of an unknown author. Because the plaque is filled with handwriting that is so energetic it is hard to handle, the first impression is perplexing. Looking character by character, it appears as if each should fall, but they don’t, arriving disordered. So it is amazing to behold the ordered, flawless composition in its entirety. It is a composition arrived through a thorough calculation of using a techniqueless technique.