A Study on the Sohakseodo(小學書圖) and Its Editions

This study examines the editions, content, and dating of the Sohakseodo (小學 書圖) currently held in Korean libraries. Based on an analysis of previous research and the extant editions in Korean libraries, this study confirmed two key points. First, the Sohakseodo consists of 51 illustrations, ranging from the 〈Jeja-sueopdo (弟子受業圖)〉 to the 〈Geumbanhyeopsahwiijido (衿鞶篋笥楎椸之圖)〉. Second, it was compiled after the completion of Zhu Xi's Sohak (小學) to serve as a study aid for the text. Furthermore, this study confirmed that the Sohakseodo is a compilation that excludes the 〈Sohakbonjido (小學本旨圖)〉 from the Gasan-doseo (家山圖書) but adds the 〈Sinju-jeonsik (神主全式)〉. It was also identified as a format that incorporates the contents of the Mungong-seonsaeng-sohak-myeongseol-pyeollam (文公先生小學明說便覽), supplemented with the 〈Sinju-jeonsik〉. A comparative analysis was conducted on the 〈Sinju-jeonsik〉 diagram as it appears in several texts: the Sohakseodo, the Geoga-pilyong (居家必用), the Ijeong-jip (二程集), the Garye (家禮) by JuBok-bon (周復本), and the Garye edition found in the Seongni-daejeon (性理大全). This comparison leads to the conclusion that He Shi-xin (何士信) was not the original author of the Sohakseodo. Rather, two possibilities emerge: (1) He Shi-xin completed the Sohakseodo after 1300 by adding his own drawing of the 〈Sinju-jeonsik〉 to a base text (like the Mungong-seonsaeng-sohak-myeongseol-pyeollam or Gasan-doseo) that already existed around 1281; or (2) He Shi-xin simply inserted a pre-existing version of the Sohakseodo, which already contained the 〈Sinju-jeonsik〉, when he was compiling the Sohak-jipseong (小學集成). Furthermore, the Sohakseodo editions held in Korean libraries exist as independent volumes. These include twelve types of Yeongju (瀛洲) editions, the Sohak-jiseo (小學之書) edition at the Seoul National University Kyujanggak, and a Chinese edition at the Jangseogak. This specific Chinese edition is noteworthy as it is a version not found in China or Japan, and its illustrations are identical to those included in the 1249 edition of the Sohak-jipseong. The Sohak-jipseong itself contains several editions of the Sohakseodo, including those dated 1249, 1569, and 1744, as well as a Japanese edition from 1658. This study confirmed that, unlike the Korean editions, this Japanese edition features slight modifications.