풍천 임씨 family tree
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About the 풍천 임씨 clan
It is regarded as the principal lineage of the Im (任) clan whose ancestral seat is Pungcheon. In the 2015 Census the 풍천 임씨 clan numbered about 143,881 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 임, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 풍천) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
Roots and History of the Pungcheon Im Clan
With about 144,000 members in the 2015 census, the Pungcheon Im (豊川 任氏) are the leading clan among those writing their surname with the character 任. They produced more than 140 civil examination graduates under Joseon and an unusually varied roster of figures, from Neo-Confucian scholars and incorruptible officials to the warrior monk Samyeong of the Imjin War.
Founder and Origin of the Ancestral Seat
Pungcheon, also known as Seoha (西河), was an old district in Hwanghae Province. Goguryeo's Gueul County became Gulhyeon under Silla's King Gyeongdeok and Pungju in early Goryeo, and in 1469 it was raised to Pungcheon Protectorate as the maternal home of Queen Ansun. It was merged into Songhwa County in 1909 and today lies mostly in Kwail County, South Hwanghae, North Korea.
The clan association honors Im On (任溫) as founder. The Joseon ssijok tongbo says he came from Shaoxing in China in the entourage of the Yuan princess who married King Chungnyeol and settled in Pungcheon. However, the reported discovery in Hwanghae of the stele and epitaph stones of Im Do (任徒) and Im Cheon-yu (任天裕), the grandfather and father of Im Ju, has led some to doubt the story of Chinese origin. The association's genealogy runs from Im On through Ga-gyu, Bi, Do and Cheon-yu to Im Ju (任澍) of the 6th generation.
Im Ju served under King Chungnyeol as Inspector of Gyeongsang Province, Censor-General and General of the Gammunwi Guard, and is said to have been granted Pungcheon as his seat. The Pungcheon Im are generally regarded as an established lineage from his time.
The Clan Through History
The lineage divided in the generation of Im Ju's two sons. The elder, Im Ja-song (任子松), a disciple of Baek I-jeong, was made Prince Seoha for escorting the king during the Jo Jeok rebellion; his descendants form the Baekpa (Buwongun branch). The younger, Im Ja-sun (任子順), served as Minister of the People and Magistrate of Gaeseong; his descendants form the Jungpa (Jeonseo-gong branch), which later divided into the Jeongseung-gong and Sayun-gong branches among others.
The Baekpa produced Im Won-jun (任元濬), made Lord Seoha as a Jwari Merit Subject under King Seongjong. His son Im Sa-hong is criticized for his deep role in the 1504 Gapja purge under Yeonsangun, and Im Sa-hong's sons Im Gwang-jae and Im Sung-jae married daughters of Kings Yejong and Seongjong. Later the descendants of Mayor of Hanseong Im Yeol (任說) flourished, including Minister of Personnel Im Guk-ro, Im Yu-hu, author of the sijo "Song of the Herd Boy", the scholar brothers Im Seong-ju and Im Jeong-ju and their sister, the woman Neo-Confucian scholar Im Yunjidang, and Right State Councillor Im Baek-gyeong under King Gojong.
In the Jungpa, the three sons of Im Yu-gyeom (任由謙), who served under King Jungjong as Inspector-General, Mayor of Hanseong and Minister of Punishments, all made their names: Im Chu, Im Gwon and Im Byeong. Im Chu's sons Im Ho-sin and Im Bo-sin were chosen as incorruptible officials. Im Hyeon, who died defending Namwon fortress as its magistrate in 1597, the monk Samyeong (Yujeong), who raised monk soldiers, and the late-Joseon Neo-Confucian Im Heon-hoe are also counted in the Jungpa.
Notable Figures
- Im Ja-song (任子松) — Founder of the Baekpa, made a Merit Subject and Prince Seoha for escorting the king during the Jo Jeok rebellion.
- Im Won-jun (任元濬, 1423–1500) — An official noted for his poetry and prose, made a third-rank Jwari Merit Subject and Lord Seoha in 1471 and promoted to Left Chancellor.
- Im Gwon (任權, 1486–1557) — Pen name Jeonggok, posthumous title Jeongheon; served as Minister of War and of Rites and Right Chamchan.
- Im Ho-sin (任虎臣, 1506–1556) — Minister of Finance and Governor of Gyeongsang; after an embassy to Ming in 1551 he was chosen as an incorruptible official.
- Samyeong-daesa Yujeong (惟政, 1544–1610) — Born Im Eung-gyu (任應奎) in Miryang. He led monk soldiers in the Imjin War and afterwards went to Japan to negotiate peace.
- Im Hyeon (任鉉, 1547–1597) — A disciple of Yi I and Seong Hon, he died defending Namwon fortress as its magistrate during the second Japanese invasion. Posthumous title Chunggan; some sources give his birth as 1549.
- Im Yu-hu (任有後) — Vice Minister of Rites and Chief Royal Secretary, known as the author of the sijo "Song of the Herd Boy".
- Im Seong-ju (任聖周, 1711–1788) — Pen name Nokmun; a master of late-Joseon Neo-Confucianism who studied in retirement at Nokmun in Gongju.
- Im Yunjidang (任允摯堂, 1721–1793) — Sister of Im Seong-ju and a woman Neo-Confucian scholar active in Wonju, author of the Yunjidang yugo on principle, material force and human nature.
- Im Jeong-ju (任靖周, 1727–1796) — Pen name Unho; renowned for scholarship alongside his elder brother Im Seong-ju.
- Im Heon-hoe (任憲晦, 1811–1876) — Pen names Gosan and Jeonjae; a student of Song Chi-gyu and Hong Jik-pil whose collected works were compiled by his disciple Jeon U.
- Im Baek-gyeong (任百經) — Descendant of Im Yeol's Baekpa line who served as Right State Councillor under King Gojong.
Clan Villages and Heritage Sites
Pungcheon itself and the tomb of Im Ju, said to lie below Jeokseonsan in Pungcheon, are in North Korea and hard to visit today. In the South, clan villages are found at Songmal-ri in Baeksa-myeon, Icheon; Oya-dong, Seongnam; Galmal-eup, Cheorwon; Sesan-ri in Dongi-myeon, Okcheon; Asan and Boryeong in South Chungcheong; and Mongtan-myeon, Muan, among others.
Chungnyeolsa shrine in Namwon honors Im Hyeon together with the other loyal subjects who died in the battle of Namwon. The reputed birthplace of Samyeong-daesa stands in Muan-myeon, Miryang. Wonju, where Im Yunjidang lived, and Nokmun in Gongju, where Im Seong-ju retired, also recall the clan's scholarly tradition.
Generation Names (Hangnyeol)
These are the clan-wide generation characters published by the Pungcheon Im Central Clan Association. The circle shows where the generation character sits in a given name: "○X" means it is the last syllable, "X○" the first. The Sayun-gong branch of the Jungpa has characters fixed through the 60th generation.
| Generation | Baekpa | Jungpa: Jeongseung-gong | Jungpa: Sayun-gong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | ○準(준) | ○準(준) | ○準(준) |
| 26th | ○鎬(호) | ○鎬(호) | ○鎬(호) |
| 27th | ○宰(재) | ○宰(재) | ○宰(재) |
| 28th | ○淳(순)·公(공)○ | ○淳(순) | ○公(공)·○淳(순) |
| 29th | ○彬(빈)·東(동)○ | ○彬(빈)·○植(식) | ○彬(빈)·○植(식)·○東(동) |
| 30th | ○赫(혁) | ○赫(혁)·○熙(희) | ○赫(혁)·昌(창)○ |
| 31th | ○中(중)·○均(균) | ○中(중)·○均(균) | ○均(균)·東(동)○ |
| 32th | ○鍾(종)·○九(구) | 鍾(종)○·善(선)○·○九(구) | ○九(구)·○鍾(종) |
| 33th | ○洙(수)·○源(원)·○雨(우) | ○源(원)·○漢(한)·○雨(우) | ○雨(우)·○洙(수) |
| 34th | ○植(식)·○相(상) | 相(상)○·桂(계)○·○根(근) | ○相(상)·○植(식) |
| 35th | ○炳(병)·○煥(환)·○熙(희) | ○炳(병)·○憲(헌) | ○炳(병)·○熙(희)·○煥(환) |
| 36th | ○圭(규)·範(범)○ | 範(범)○·孝(효)○·○圭(규) | ○主(주)·範(범)○ |
| 37th | ○鉉(현)·○鎭(진) | — | ○鎭(진) |
| 38th | ○淵(연)·○承(승) | — | ○淵(연)·○承(승) |
| 39th | ○根(근)·○稙(직) | — | ○稙(직)·○根(근) |
| 40th | ○燦(찬)·○烈(열) | — | ○燦(찬)·○烈(열) |
Branch and lineage details can differ between family associations and genealogies, so please confirm them with your own family's jokbo.
Main branches (派)
Baekpa (Elder Branch), Jungpa (Second Branch)
Baekpa (Elder Branch) (伯派)
The Baekpa (elder branch), also called the Buwongun-pa (府院君派), descends from Im Ja-song (任子松), who served as pan samsasa (head of the Finance Commission). He was a son of Im Ju (任澍), regarded as the point from which the Pungcheon Im family grew into a major lineage.
The descendants of Im Yeol (任說), Im Ja-song's 7th-generation descendant who served as governor of Hanseong under King Myeongjong, flourished greatly; minister of personnel Im Guk-ro (任國老), vice-minister of war Im Yu-hu (任有後), the scholar Im Seong-ju (任聖周) and right state councillor Im Baek-gyeong (任百經) came from this line.
Jungpa (Second Branch) (仲派)
The Jungpa (second branch), also called the Jeonseo-gong-pa (典書公派), descends from Im Ja-sun (任子順), who served as minister of the Ministry of the People (minbu jeonseo). It split off together with the Baekpa in the generation of Im Ju's sons.
The descendants of Im Ja-sun's 6th-generation descendants, the brothers Im Yu-gyeom (任由謙) and Im Yu-son (任由遜), flourished; they include minister of war and rites Im Gwon (任權), the incorruptible officials Im Ho-sin (任虎臣) and Im Bo-sin (任輔臣), training command general Im Tae-yeong (任泰瑛) and the Neo-Confucian scholar Im Heon-hoe (任憲晦). The monk Samyeong-dang Yujeong (惟政) is also said to have descended from Im Ja-sun.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
Notable figures
임자송(Prince Seoha and founder of the Baekpa), 임원준(Jwari Merit Subject and Lord Seoha), 임권(Minister of War and of Rites), 임호신(incorruptible official), 사명대사(Great Master Samyeong; monk-soldier leader in the Imjin War), 임현(died defending Namwon fortress), 임유후(author of the Song of the Herd Boy), 임성주(Neo-Confucian scholar Nokmun), 임윤지당(woman Neo-Confucian scholar), 임정주(Neo-Confucian scholar), 임헌회(Neo-Confucian scholar Jeonjae), 임백경(Right State Councillor under King Gojong)
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Related reading
풍천 임씨 clan association
For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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