회산 감씨(檜山 甘氏) — A small Gam seat in the Changwon area of South Gyeongsang, also called Changwon Gam and Hapo Gam, tracing to the Yuan scholar Gam Gyu; the Imjin War officer Gam Gyeong-in is its best-known figure.
A small Gam seat in the Changwon area of South Gyeongsang, also called Changwon Gam and Hapo Gam, tracing to the Yuan scholar Gam Gyu; the Imjin War officer Gam Gyeong-in is its best-known figure. Even among people surnamed 감, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 회산) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Hoesan Gam (檜山 甘氏) is a seat of the Gam surname in the Changwon area of South Gyeongsang Province. Korean Wikipedia lists Changwon Gam (昌原 甘氏) and Hapo Gam (合浦 甘氏) as alternative names, explaining that Changwon, Hoesan and Hapo all refer to the same present-day Changwon region. Tradition says the family used Neungnyeong (延陵) as its seat until the 16th-generation descendant Gam Cheol, after which Hoesan was used. The land was Gulja-gun in Silla, renamed Uian-gun in 757, passed through Uichang and Hoewon in Goryeo, was raised to Changwon-bu in 1408 and became Changwon-gun in 1896.
The founder is said to be Gam Gyu (甘揆), a Hanlin Academy scholar under Emperor Chengzong of Yuan, with courtesy name Yangwon and pen name Yeongang. Korean Wikipedia says he accompanied King Gongmin and Princess Noguk from Yuan into Goryeo in 1351 together with seven others (Gong So, Jang Gyeong, Hwangbo Yeong, Dokgo Eok, Byeon Suk and others), the group being called the Eight Scholars, and rose to Munhasirang Pyeongjangsa and was enfeoffed as Lord of Neungnyeong. Some English-language sources give the year of arrival as 1349, so the year differs by source.
The mid-founder is the 16th-generation Gam Cheol (甘喆), said to have been raised to Geumjagwangnokdaebu and enfeoffed as Lord of Hoesan for advising against a northern expedition. As Korean Wikipedia itself notes, that rank was abolished in 1362 and the "northern expedition" belongs to the reign of Hyojong in late Joseon, so the tradition does not fit in time. The generations from Gam Gyu to Gam Cheol and the Hoesan title are therefore best treated as register tradition.
The founder's tomb is said to have been on Gongmosan in Chungcheong with a royal-composed spirit-path stele on Mugoksan, both now lost. Descendants are reported to have set up an altar and stele at Naeri-dong in Changwon and to hold rites on the 15th of the fourth lunar month. Check the date with the clan association.
The preface of the Byeongjinbo register mentions a theory of five seats (Hapo, Chungju, Geochang, Changnyeong and Buryeong), but Wikipedia says these are residence names and that Hoesan is the single seat. It lists Changwon, Hapo, Geochang, Buryeong, Chungju and Changnyeong Gam as offshoots of Hoesan Gam, which again rests on register tradition.
The best known is Gam Gyeong-in (1569-1648), who with his brother Gam Gyeong-ryun joined Yi Sun-sin's camp in the Imjin War. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture lists him under Hoesan and says he was sent to Tsushima in 1606 and brought back more than 150 captives. His brother Gam Gyeong-ryun was posthumously made Gunjagam Jikjang and is said to be enshrined with him at Samnyeolsa. Gam Sang-jung (seat Hapo, civil examination 1474) and Gam Deok-hu and Gam Gyeong-mu (seat Changwon, licentiate examinations in 1555 and 1589) are recorded among examination passers.
The Hoesan Gam is a small seat and only Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture were available here. The clan association's official site, 2015 census figures and branch lines were not confirmed. Errors are possible, so please check your family register and the clan association.
Branch names and founders were not confirmed. Changwon, Hapo, Geochang, Buryeong, Chungju and Changnyeong Gam are presented as offshoot seats of the same root.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
감규(traditional founder, Yuan Hanlin scholar), 감철(traditional mid-founder, 16th generation), 감경인(Imjin War officer enshrined at Samnyeolsa)
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In the 2000 census the Gam surname totaled 5,998, of which Wikipedia lists Changwon Gam 2,685, Hoesan Gam 2,113 and Hapo Gam 94 (4,892 together) as seats in the Changwon area. Geochang Gam (522), Changnyeong Gam (372), Chungju Gam (112) and Buryeong Gam (65) are thought to be residence names of the Changwon Gam. The figures do not add up exactly, so use them only as a rough guide. 2015 census figures were not confirmed.
Branch names and founders were not confirmed in this research. What Wikipedia lists are the separate seat names, not branches.
After his death Gam Gyeong-in was given the shrine title Samnyeol by the Chunghunbu and enshrined at Samnyeolsa. The shrine's exact location and current status were not confirmed. His collected works, Samnyeoldang Munjip, survive.
Wikipedia gives generation characters: 35th 현(鉉)/태(泰), 36th 영(泳)/식(植)/주(柱), 37th 상(相)/경(炅)/병(炳), 38th 병(炳)/규(圭)/은(垠), 39th 동(東), 40th 희(熙), 41st 채(埰), 42nd 석(錫), 43rd 호(浩), 44th 근(根), 45th 형(炯). Which line uses them and how generations are counted is not stated, so check your own register.
The clan association's name and contact were not confirmed. Ask a local clan or an elder of your family first.
The Gam surname is described as Chinese in origin, with differing accounts: the place Gam of the Xia era, Gam Ban, minister of Wu Ding of Shang, or descendants of Shudai, son of King Hui of Zhou. It cannot be settled which is right.
The 회산 감씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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