Marginality and Subversion in Korea: The Hong Kyongnae Rebellion of 1812

4. Prophecy and Popular Rebellion

89 4 Prophecy and Popular Rebellion G eomancy and prophecy were important political tools in mobilizing mass support and legitimizing the rebellion. Not only were key leaders such as Hong KyQngnae and U Kunch’ik geomancers, but geomantic practices and prophetic beliefs in dynastic changes played a key role in recruiting sympathizers. The rebel manifesto clearly states that their political movement to thwart the existing dynasty has been ordained by the Mandate of Heaven as manifested in popular beliefs in dynastic changes. This chapter examines the development of geomancy and prophecy as a vital element of political culture in Korea and how the rebels appropriated these popular beliefs and practices as their own. geomancy: theory and practice in korea Geomancy (Kor.: p’ungsu, Ch.: feng-shui; literally, “wind and water”) has been one of the most enduring and popular belief systems in Korean history. It originated in China and was apparently much indebted to the yin-yang and the five elements schools in its theoretical contents. According to the doctrine of geomancy, as yin and yang forces interact in their creativity in the universe, they also fill the earth and circulate under its surface like the blood running through a human body. Just as damage to a blood vessel results in sickness, so the ill treatment of certain vital spots on the surface of the earth, such as the improper selection of a temple site, disturbs the subterranean circulation of the yin and yang, which can in turn disrupt the 90   Prophecy and Popular Rebellion harmony of human society. Conversely, the construction of a temple, pagoda, or house or the founding of a town or palace on an auspicious site is believed to revitalize the subterranean forces and prolong the prosperity of a dynasty, family, lineage, or town.1 Maurice Freedman’s study of geomancy in China, which is instrumental in understanding the same tradition in Korea, notes that there is no reliance on the will of a deity, and hence no gods to serve or placate, in geomancy. Geomancy is based on propositions and principles that regulate the cosmos, however vaguely they may be formulated, and that are known to experts who operate along well-articulated lines of thought. In a word, geomancy is a technique, and men can use it to their advantage. Two consequences follow from this view. One is that geomancers are held in an esteem not shared by other religious practitioners. They are educated and so attract the curiosity of the educated. The second consequence is that faith in geomancy may well survive a change in religion, since its theory is not antagonistic to any hegemonic religion but shares with religion some of its basic notions, such as that of maintaining harmony between men and nature.2 Although geomancy is a human response to forces working within nature, it is preoccupied with success. It is when a man begins to think of increased prosperity for himself and his offspring, some measure of affluence having already been achieved, that he becomes concerned with geomancy. Already prosperous, he cannot afford not to take any geomantic precautions that will ensure his continuing success. Thus there is a fundamental notion underlying geomancy—namely, that all men are in principle equal, and can legitimately strive to improve their station in life. In other words, all men are entitled to take steps to elevate themselves and their descendants through scholarship, through the accumulation of wealth, and through the religious pursuit of good fortune.3 The status of geomancy has been ambiguous; it has not been part of the state cult, and yet it has been used by the government for the siting and protection of important tombs and buildings.4 Though it was officially attacked for its harmful effects on public behavior, the government often responded to rebellion by smashing the ancestral tombs of the rebels. And while an educated man might criticize geomancy for being superstitious and misleading ignorant people, when selecting the burial site for his ancestors, he would rely heavily on the advice of a geomancer. For example, An ChQngbok (1712–91), a late ChosQn scholar, reported the practice of locating auspicious spots in a greedy search for wealth, success, and long life and warned against the ill effects of excessive geomantic investment.5 Prophecy and Popular Rebellion   91 The source of this ambiguity was the fact that geomancy and state orthodoxy shared some fundamental principles...