This study has unfolded the functions and characteristics of the Civil Service Examination(henceforth, CSE:文科) in Choson dynasty with two phases: the documentary survey of legislative proclamations and the statistical analysis of examination rosters(榜目). It is necessary for us to reach at an accurate understanding about CSE. if we hope to know what the ruling body of Choson Literati was like. I have analysed the conduction variety of CSEs and the passers' (i.e., successful applicants') background with their preoccupations, family names and genealogical lineages, and residence places throughout the whole period of Choson dynasty.

The legislative contents were reorganized in the second chapter with chronological documents. Regulation of Civil Service Examinations(科舉事目) enacted by Ministry of Rites, and other codified laws. Particularly, there are noticed types of examinations. qualification of applicants. conductive procedures. According to the Administrative Code(經國大典), one time of conduction should be taken each triennial term(式年), It was the limit on the number of successful applicants in the First Stage Examination(初試) which had been fluctuated in the triennial examinations from time to time. It was originally 240, whose number was summed 50 from the Examination at the National Confucian School (館試), 40 from that in Seoul(漢城試), and 150 from that in each apportioned number to local provinces (鄕試). After the reign of Kwanhaegwun(光海君),the local examination in Kyonggi(京畿) province was absorbed into Seoul examination so that 20 tables were lessened.

After the reign of Thaejong(太宗), irregular examinations began to be conducted to celebrate national joyous occasions. Except Augmented Examinations(增廣試), which was quite similar to regular triennial examinations in its procedure and contents. irregular examinations had been evaluated unfair, because it adopted only one time of Composition Examination Course(製述) to determine success or failure. This fact made them to discuss a solution for the fairness after Sõngjong reign(成宗) on. During Chwungjong(中宗) and Myōngjong(明宗) reigns. one of outstanding irregular examinations, Special Examinations(別試), had so begun to be codified legally in its conduction precedure that two stages were introduced such as First Stage Examination (初試) and Congregate Examination(會試) with new additional contents of Explication on Scriptures(講經)、Although there was a trend to restrict this sort of irregular examinations, there was another stream to conduct a new irregular examination with one time of Compositional course. This can be called the dual aspects of CSE.

While illegitimate sons were not allowed to take CSE at all according to the Administrative Code, there began to discuss the allowance of application for them from the reign of Myöōngjong(明宗)、They had been given the qualification at last to have the status of Approved Application(許通),Working Scholar(業儒)。and Working. Soldier(葉武)。

In the following chapter, the varierties of CSE conduction are discussed. The interval of triennial terms was finely obeyed in general except small number of postponed cases but irregular examinations had no restriction on interval. During the whole period of 502 years. 804 times of CSEs were conducted. Among them. 71.3% were irregular examinations. Among the total passers (14.684), the portion of triennial applicants was 41%(6,029) and 59% (8.655) for the irregular applicants. The percentage of the latter (59%), however, is not that much higher relatively than the rate of frequent conduction of irregular examinations (71.3%),

The transition of examination procedure was observed in 16th century, from which period irregular examinations were taken frequently and the rate went up more and more in the consecutive 17th and 18th centuries. The average of passers' table in 17th century was enlarged in the triennial and augmented examinations, while irregular tables got lessened relatively. This phenomenon was partly due to the invocation of Direct Allowance to the Palace Examination(直赴制) whose customary conduction increased the passers' table of triennial and augmented examinations and decreased the passers' table of special examinations at the same time. But the statistics says that it was irregular examinations which were dominant in conduction of CSE..

After 17th century on, break-up of examination and elimination of passers went on rapid growing. In the early days of Choson. dynasty, break-up and elimination were observed in some occasions. of the First Stage Examination due to cheating but never in the Palace Examinations. There was another reason politically oriented. because this CSE was esteemed to be a system producing a ruling body of Choson dynasty.

The average age of passers was 33.7 years old. In 15th century. twenties were the majority and from 16th centutry on the average age went up bit by bit. In 17th and 18th century, early thirties and late thirties were the majorities respectively. But in 19th century the age turned downward because of the rapid increase of young passers.

The subjects of CSE are Explication on Scriptures and Composition Course. As the Neo-Confucian philsophy developed, the former subject esteemed highly than the latter. Even in the Special Examination in which Composition was the only subject. gradually Explication on Scriptures was introduced in the form of Aggregated Explication(會議)。

Even though it was the proper business for Ministry of Rites to conduct CSE, all of the Six Ministries were asked to cooperate. closely for the sake of efficient performance. Ministry of Personnel. appointed superintendents on Answer Sheet Enclosing. Coping. Gathering, Inspecting, and Comparing Ministry of Military Affairs on Guarding: Ministry of Taxation on Fooding and Healing Ministry of Public Works sent servants to settle up thorn barrier of wall around the examination place and to build up a board for the title of examination. This means that CSE was a national wide event at that time.

The passers preoccupation implies their social status at that time. They were from Classics Licentiati(生員) and Literary Licentiati(進 ±), Young Literati(幼學), Previous Official Rank Holders(元有階者), Illigitimate Sons(庶擘), Country's Petty Functinaries (鄉吏), and Adolescent Applicants(童蒙). The first three were major parties each of which occupied almost every 30% of the total tables. The class of Young Literati became dominant especially after 17th century and it should be noted that they were almost over 70% of the passers during 18th and 19th centuries. This was caused by the new legislation in 17th century in which Recommandation System(薦舉制) guaranteed them to have an opportunity of Protected Appointments (蔭敍) and Compensatory Appointments(代加) as much as Classics Licentiati and Literary Licentiati. In particular, the rapid growing of Young Literati in 18th century came from the number of passers in Pyongan Province(平安道)、Due to the governmental care of the border and private trade with China, it was possible for them to accumulate their wealth. The Rank Holders occupy the majority of Augmented Examinations and this fact tells us that it was supposed mostly to be held for them.

The statistics of family names(姓) and genealogical lineages(貫) reveals that they were from 119 families and 941 lineages. The number is relatively small to that of Lower Level Licentiate Passer Lists(司馬榜目)。150. When we compare it to the comprehensive edition of families and lineages at that time-Expanded Version of Reference Compilation of Documents(增補文獻備考)-it was the only minor portion. The outstanding family of passers was Lee family: 2.883.

The family who kept over 100 passers was 35 family lineages and the only one passer's family was over 400 family lineages. This fact means that restricted number of minor family lineages occupied almost of the passers. Most of these family lineages were involved in the ruling class from Koryd dynasty and they were the so-called Distinguished and Mighty Clans(名門巨族) in the early Choson dynasty. Especially, minor clans exclusively became to be dominant grossly in the 17th century.

The information of residence is not well-preserved nor complete. We can find out 58% (9,030) of passers' residence from National Examination Rosters(國朝榜目) whose number were on 18th and 19th century so that it hardly covers the tendency of whole Choson period. There is no statistics yet on passers' residence so it would not be bad to postulate a tendency even in some periods. When we divide the locations into Seoul and local areas, 44% were Seoul and the rest were local among whose local portions Kyongsang(慶尙) Province was high in general, In 18th and 19th centuries, Pyongan(平安) Province particularly occupies higher portion. In the triennial examinations, the portions of Kyongsang(慶尙) and Cholla (全羅) Provinces were relatively high by 17th century and in the Special examiantions Chwungchong(忠淸) and Kyonggi(京畿) provinces occupied higher portion.

When we consider the facts that Pyongan inhabitants applied regular examinations and irregular examinations were maily held to select officials, this tendency reads that, albeit the rapid growth of passers around 18th century in Pyongan province, it did not resolve the discrimination against them at all. On the contrary, the rapid growth of passers number in Kyonggi and Chwungchong Provinces after 18 century especially in the irregular examinations reflects the emergence of new core political party. Kiho Literati (磯湖士林)、The transition in Seoul seems to reveal the political history because the residence transition coincided with passers number. For instance, in 19th century, the population of Andong Kim family(安東 金氏) and Yõhung Min family(驪興閔氏) was enlarged suddenly in Seoul and the parallel increase is also found in the passers' number.

So far. I have uncovered the characteristics and functions of CSE with the consideration of passers' background. I cannot have tackle on some issues such as passers' advancement to social and official society. These sort of issues will be next topics for the consecutive study on CSE.