Silla zither master, recorded in the Yeonghae Park genealogy as Park Mun-ryang, son of Bak Je-sang
| Life | 414(영해 박씨 족보) |
| Era | 신라 눌지~자비 마립간 때 |
| Clan | 영해 박씨 |
Baekgyeol Seonsaeng ("Master Hundred-Patches") was an early Silla zither virtuoso, named for being so poor that his clothes were mended in a hundred places. The Samguk Sagi gives no family or career details. According to the Yeonghae Park genealogy and the Budoji, his real name was Park Mun-ryang (朴文良), son of Bak Je-sang, born in 414 (13th year of Silla's Silseong) and living at the foot of Mt. Nangsan in Geumseong under King Jabi. Wikipedia notes that this family line appears only in such genealogies, so it should be read as tradition.
His best-known story is the "Daeak" (mortar music). On New Year's Eve his wife envied the neighbors' rice-pounding, and he played the sound of the pestle on his zither to comfort her. He is said to have admired Yeong Gi-gi, to have used the zither to forget worldly cares, to have refused all court patronage, and to have disappeared from view in old age.
Wikipedia also cites a piece recorded only in the Yeonghae Park genealogy, "Nakcheonak", said to have been composed on leaving office. His official career cannot be confirmed from the Samguk Sagi alone, so that part belongs to clan tradition. Wikipedia lists his mother as Lady Gukdae, sisters Park A-gi, A-yeong and A-gyeong, Lady Cheonga who married Misaheun, and an adopted son, Park Deung-heun.
The story goes that on New Year's Eve his wife sighed at the neighbors' rice-pounding, and he, saying wealth is for Heaven to give, played the pestle sound on his zither to console her. The piece is known as "Daeak".
The Samguk Sagi says his family is unknown; that he was Bak Je-sang's son comes only from the Yeonghae Park genealogy and the Budoji. He is therefore presented as a Yeonghae Park figure without treating that as settled fact.
He is said to have disappeared in old age; no tomb is known.