• Journal of architectural history
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.17-28
• /
• 2018

This study explores the space and society of Seorin-bang(瑞麟坊), using the Hanseong-bu family registry from the Gwangmu period to demonstrate the urban organizational units used during the late Joseon dynasty known as Seo(署)-Bang(坊)-Gye(契)-Dong(洞)-Tong(統)-Ho(戶). It seeks to examine how Seorin-bang's space and society changed with time. First, the study offers approximate demarcation for Gye and Dong through spatial verification of Bang-Gye-Dong-Tong-Ho of Seorin-bang in late Joseon Dynasty, whose precise locations were formerly undetermined. Second, it explores the relationships between Bang-Gye-Dong-Tong-Ho which has been widely understood to be hierarchical by previous studies, and classifies the relationship dynamics between Gye and Dong into four types. Third, the study finds that Seorin-bang retained much of its urban structure including roads, plots, and streams and maintained stable population distribution under the Japanese colonial rule, and continuously served as place of residency for many throughout the Gwangmu period. This study has major implications in that it illustrates space and society of Seorin-bang by converting the family registry from the late Joseon Dynasty into spatial data, and observes its changes subsequent to the Japanese colonial rule.