Toi-gye

The other major school stemming from the philosophy of Chu Hsi was fostered by Yi I (Yi Yul-Gok), who proposed that the "chi" controlled the "li." This school stressed the importance of education, experience, and practical intellectual activities. Yi Yul-Gok, 35 years younger than Yi Toi-Gye, once visited him and they spent time discussing their philosophies.

The teachings of Yi Toi-Gye not only had appeal to the scholars of his time in Korea but soon attracted many senior government officials as well. Soon, government and political support increased for the formation of schools teaching his concepts of the supremacy of practical ethics. Yi Toi-Gye took advantage of his considerable influence when he became the head of a private school or shrine, such as Tosan Sowon (shown on left) in Kyongsang province in 1557. This shrine had been dedicated by its previous instructor to the honor of a revered scholar who introduced the teachings of Chu Hsi into Korea. It was a combination shrine, private study facility, school, and social gathering point for local scholars. Yi To-Gye used his political ties to get royal patronage for the Sowon because it was also a shrine for a Confucian sage. This patronage, or tax-free status, resulted in an influx of assets in the form of cash, cattle, land, slaves, grain, and books. As a result, this Sowon, and this type of educational system in general, proliferated and became a predominant type of school in the Joseon Dynasty.