Eojwa literally means the throne of the king where he was seated during state affairs and in audiences with his subjects. It had different names too, such as “jade seat” (okjwa) and “treasure seat” (bojwa). The royal throne was placed in the center of the main hall of the palace or in the king’s office.

This red-lacquered throne is finely decorated with dragon designs in gold. The throne depicted in the portrait of King Taejo (r.1392-1398), the founder of the kingdom, has an almost identical design which suggests that such designs were in vogue already from the inception of the Joseon dynasty.

A screen of the sun, moon, and five peaks was placed behind the throne and the ceiling above it was adorned with a sculpted panel to present the divinity and majesty of the king. The screen illustrates a panoramic view of natural subjects symbolizing eternity such as the sun, the moon, mountains, streams of water, and pine trees. The ceiling panel features magnificent carved reliefs either of twin dragons or twin phoenixes which are well-known mythical animals and symbols of the king.