인동 장씨 family tree

인동 장씨(仁同 張氏) — The representative line of the Jang surname with its ancestral seat in Indong, said to be the largest ancestral seat among the Jang surname.

About the 인동 장씨 clan

The representative line of the Jang surname with its ancestral seat in Indong, said to be the largest ancestral seat among the Jang surname. In the 2015 Census the 인동 장씨 clan numbered about 591,312 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 장, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 인동) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.

Roots and History of the Indong Jang Clan

With about 591,000 members in the 2015 census, the Indong Jang (仁同 張氏) form the largest of all Jang clans. Their ancestral seat, Indong, is an old district now covering eastern Gumi (around Indong-dong and Inui-dong) and part of Chilgok County in North Gyeongsang Province; in Goryeo times it was also called Oksan (玉山).

Founder and Origin of the Ancestral Seat

Two lines with different founders share the Indong seat. The largest, the Sangjanggun line, traces itself to Jang Geum-yong (張金用), who served in early Goryeo as Samjungdaegwang and General of the Sinhowi Guard. His descendants lived for generations in Oksan and were first called the Oksan Jang; when Oksan was renamed Indong, the seat name changed with it. Some descendants in the home district still cherish the old name Oksan.

The other line, the Jikjehak line (直提學系), looks to Jang Gye (張桂), who passed the examination as a National Academy licentiate under King Chungnyeol, rose through the post of Jikjehak of the Jinhyeonjeon to Grand Academician of the Yemungwan and was enfeoffed as Lord Oksan. He is said to have settled south of Indong County and taken Indong as his seat. Sources describe the relationship between the two lines differently, so it is best to check which line your family belongs to in your own genealogy.

The Clan Through History

The great genealogy of the Sangjanggun line lists 27 branches, 25 of which survive today. The Hampyeong and Heunghae branches split off early in Goryeo, and branches such as Hwasun, Cheongan, Yeonggwang, Cheongju, Gapyeong and Goheung spread across the country, while the main, Namsan, Jinga, Jinpyeong and Hwangsang branches stayed in Indong.

At the end of Goryeo, Jang An-se (張安世) is said to have kept faith with the fallen dynasty as one of the 72 worthies of Dumundong. In mid-Joseon, Jang Hyeon-gwang (pen name Yeoheon) devoted his life to scholarship and teaching in Indong and became a major figure in Yeongnam Neo-Confucianism, while Jang Man, equally capable in letters and arms, crushed Yi Gwal's rebellion and was enfeoffed as Prince Okseong. Late Joseon produced noted military officials such as Jang Bung-ik, commander of the Training Command and Minister of Punishments.

In Seoul the Indong Jang were also known as a family of court interpreters (yeokgwan). They passed the interpreter examination in modest numbers but often at the top of the list, and Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Jang clan, consort of King Sukjong, came from this interpreter family as a grand-niece of the interpreter Jang Hyeon (張炫).

The Jikjehak line divided in early Joseon and moved to Yeongju, Yecheon and Mungyeong and to Danyang in North Chungcheong. Descendants of Jang Mal-son (張末孫), named a Merit Subject for suppressing Yi Si-ae's rebellion under King Sejo and enfeoffed as Lord Yeonbok, settled at Hwagi-ri in Yeongju. Chief State Councillor Jang Sun-son (張順孫) also bore the Indong seat and is counted by some sources as a branch founder within the Jikjehak line.

In the modern era the clan produced Jang Ji-yeon, who published the editorial "Today We Cry Out in Lament" in the Hwangseong Sinmun; the Confucian scholar Jang Seok-yeong, who helped draft the independence petition to the Paris Peace Conference; and independence activists Jang Jin-hong and Jang Geon-sang. Contemporary figures include Prime Minister and Vice President Jang Myeon, Prime Minister Jang Taek-sang, Army Chief of Staff Jang Do-yeong and the economist Jang Ha-joon.

Notable Figures

• Jang Geum-yong (張金用) — Founder of the Sangjanggun line, said to have served in early Goryeo as Samjungdaegwang and General of the Sinhowi Guard.
• Jang An-se (張安世) — Late-Goryeo official, remembered as one of the 72 worthies who withdrew to Dumundong rather than serve the new dynasty.
• Jang Sun-son (張順孫, 1453–1534) — A native of Seongju who served as Chief Royal Secretary and Minister of Finance and of War, becoming Chief State Councillor in 1533. Posthumous title Munsuk (文肅).
• Jang Hyeon-gwang (張顯光, 1554–1637) — Pen name Yeoheon, posthumous title Mungang (文康). He devoted his life to learning and teaching rather than office and left the Yeoheonjip and Yeokhak doseol.
• Jang Man (張晩, 1566–1629) — Pen name Nakseo. For suppressing Yi Gwal's rebellion in 1624 he became a first-rank Jinmu Merit Subject and Prince Okseong, and served as Minister of War and Supreme Field Commander.
• Jang Bung-ik (張鵬翼, 1674–1735) — Late-Joseon military official who served as Mayor of Hanseong, commander of the Training Command and Minister of Punishments.
• Royal Noble Consort Hui (1659–1701) — Consort of King Sukjong and mother of King Gyeongjong, from the Indong Jang interpreter family as grand-niece of the interpreter Jang Hyeon.
• Jang Bok-chu (張福樞, 1815–1900) — Pen name Samiheon. He declined the offices offered to him and taught some 400 students as a private scholar.
• Jang Seok-yeong (張錫英, 1851–1926) — Pen name Hoedang. He led the Chilgok National Debt Repayment Association and, during the March First Movement, helped draft the Paris independence petition before being imprisoned for the Seongju demonstrations. Some sources give his death as 1929.
• Jang Ji-yeon (張志淵, 1864–1921) — Pen name Wiam. Right after the Eulsa Treaty he published "Today We Cry Out in Lament" in the Hwangseong Sinmun.
• Jang Jin-hong (張鎭弘, 1895–1930) — Independence activist in armed resistance, posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Independence Medal) in 1962.
• Jang Myeon (張勉, 1899–1966) — Prime Minister of the Second Republic and fourth Vice President.
• Jang Taek-sang (張澤相, 1893–1969) — Pen name Changnang; the third Prime Minister.
• Jang Ha-joon (張夏準, 1963–) — Economist who taught at the University of Cambridge.

Clan Villages and Heritage Sites

The head house of the Sangjanggun line stands in Inui-dong, Gumi, in the home district, and the Indong area still keeps many branch head houses, ancestral halls and pavilions. Dongnak Seowon in Gumi was founded to honor Jang Hyeon-gwang, who is also enshrined at academies in several other regions. Jang Man was enshrined at a local shrine in Tongjin (today's Gimpo).

The best-known site of the Jikjehak line is the Indong Jang head house at Hwagi-ri, Jangsu-myeon, Yeongju, built in the mid-16th century by Jang Eon-sang (張彦祥), great-great-grandson of Jang Mal-son, and designated a North Gyeongsang Folk Heritage. The portrait of Jang Mal-son and other family documents and relics kept there have been designated Treasures.

Today clan villages are concentrated around Gumi and Chilgok and elsewhere in North Gyeongsang such as Goryeong, Seongju and Yeongcheon, while the Jikjehak line lives mainly around Yeongju, Yecheon, Mungyeong and Danyang.

Branch and lineage details can differ between family associations and genealogies, so please confirm them with your own family's jokbo.

Main branches (派)

Sangjanggun line, Main branch (Jong-pa), Namsan-pa, Jinga-pa, Jinpyeong-pa, Hwangsang-pa, Hampyeong-pa, Heunghae-pa, Jikjehak line

Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.

Notable figures

장금용(founder of the Indong Jang clan; Sangjanggun), 장안세(one of the 72 worthies of Dumundong), 장순손(Joseon Chief State Councillor), 장현광(Neo-Confucian scholar Yeoheon), 장만(Prince Okseong and Minister of War), 장붕익(commander of the Training Command), 희빈 장씨(consort of King Sukjong), 장석영(Confucian scholar and independence activist), 장지연(author of Siilyabangseongdaegok), 장진홍(independence activist), 장면(Prime Minister and Vice President), 장택상(Prime Minister), 장도영(Army Chief of Staff), 장하준(economist)

Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).

인동 장씨 — Independence patriots

인동 장씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.

The Indong Jang Clan and Its Ancestral Seat

The Indong Jang clan (仁同 張氏) is a surname with its ancestral seat in the former Indong-hyeon (仁同縣) in the area of Gumi and Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province. There are two lines with different founders: the Sangjanggun line (上將軍系), which takes Jang Geum-yong (張金用) as its founder, and the Jikjehak line (直提學系), which takes Jang Gye (張桂) as its founder.

Modern and Contemporary Figures

In modern and contemporary times there are Jang Myeon, who served as Prime Minister and Vice President; Jang Taek-sang, who served as Prime Minister; the soldier Jang Do-yeong; and the economist Jang Ha-joon, among others.

How to build your 인동 장씨 tree

1. Start with yourself — sign in to get your own tree. Enter your name, birth year and clan seat (인동).
2. Add older generations — add parents and grandparents. For accuracy see tracing ancestors with jejeok records (usually to about 5 generations).
3. Link siblings & children — sort by generational name (hangnyeol) to see each generation at a glance.
4. Export & share — save the finished tree as a PDF and invite family to manage it together.

Related reading

인동 장씨 clan association

🔗 인동장씨대종회

For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.