Yang San-bo (1503–1557) was a Sarim scholar who revered Jo Gwang-jo (1482–1519) as his teacher. But when the Gimyo Purge erupted in 1519, Jo Gwang-jo was first exiled and soon after forced to take his own life. Having witnessed his revered teacher die amid this political catastrophe, Yang San-bo abandoned all ambition for public life and withdrew to his hometown of Damyang. His decision to begin building a garden there was not a career move, but a choice born of disillusionment with politics and mourning for his teacher.
The garden he built initially had no name. It was later Song Sun (1493–1583), known by his pen name Myeonangjeong, who, upon seeing this garden, gave it the name "Soswae" — meaning "pure and clear." Shaped like a trapezoid centered on a valley stream, the garden is divided into four zones — Aeyangdan, Ogongmun, Jewoldang, and Gwangpunggak — and is regarded as a representative example of the mid-Joseon garden, harmonizing the natural and the man-made. It was designated Historic Site No. 304 in 1983, then redesignated Scenic Site No. 40 in 2008. A garden born of political despair now stands as a name that represents Korean garden culture itself.