(also called '''Seonggyungwan Munmyo''') is
Korea 's primary
Confucian shrine. It is located in central
Seoul ,
South Korea , at 53 Myeongnyun-dong 3(sam)-ga,
Jongno-gu , on the campus of
Sungkyunkwan University .
It was established in
1398 , in the seventh and final year of the reign of King
Taejo (r. 1392-1398), the founder and first king of the
Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
A ritual called ''Munmyo jerye'' (hangul: 문묘제례; hanja: 文廟祭禮), which involves music and dance, is held there each year in the spring (April) and autumn (September); the ritual features ancient music of Chinese origin called ''Munmyo jeryeak'' (hangul: 문묘제례악; hanja: 文廟祭禮樂), which is a form of ''
Aak ''. The ritual honors Confucius as well as
Choe Chiwon and
Seol Chong , Confucian scholars of the
Unified Silla period (668–935). The musicians are provided by
The National Center For Korean Traditional Performing Arts . The instruments used include flutes (''hun'', ''so'', and bamboo flutes), zithers (''seul'' and ''geum''), stone chimes (''
Pyeongyeong ''), bronze bells (''
Pyeonjong ''), various drums played with sticks, tiger-shaped wooden scraper (''eo''), wooden box (''chuk''), and wooden clappers (''bak'').
Munmyo is designated by the South Korean government as Historic Site No. 143.
