평산 신씨(平山 申氏) — Said to be the representative line of the Shin (申) surname, with its ancestral seat in Pyeongsan and the Goryeo founding merit subject Shin Sung-gyeom as founder.
Said to be the representative line of the Shin (申) surname, with its ancestral seat in Pyeongsan and the Goryeo founding merit subject Shin Sung-gyeom as founder. In the 2015 Census the 평산 신씨 clan numbered about 563,375 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 신, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 평산) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
Munhui-gong-pa, Jeongeon-gong-pa, Sagan-gong-pa, Jejeong-gong-pa, Pansa-gong-pa, Hanseongyun-gong-pa, Milji-gong-pa, Bongsangyun-gong-pa, Jangnyeong-gong-pa, Hyeonnyeong-gong-pa, Daejehak-gong-pa, Onsugam-gong-pa, Jeonseo-gong-pa, Isang-gong-pa, Jinsa-gong-pa, Gamchal-gong-pa, Panyun-gong-pa, Champan-gong-pa, Gunsu-gong-pa
The Munhui-gong branch descends from Shin Gae (申槩, 1374-1446), posthumously titled Munhui, who served as Left State Councillor under King Sejong. A son of Shin An (申晏), he took part in compiling the History of Goryeo (Goryeosa) and was enshrined in King Sejong's royal shrine. Together with the Sagan-gong branch, it is said to account for roughly 30% each of the Pyeongsan Shin population.
His great-grandson Shin Sang (申鏛) became a minister, and the branch went on to produce Shin Jap (申磼) and his brother General Shin Rip (申砬) of the Imjin War, Shin Rip's son Chief State Councillor Shin Gyeong-jin (申景禛), and Chief State Councillor Shin Wan (申琓) under King Sukjong. Shin Saimdang is also said to have come from this branch.
The Jeongeon-gong branch descends from Shin Hyo (申曉), a younger brother of Shin Gae of the Munhui-gong branch. His great-grandson Shin Yeong (申瑛) served as Right Chamber Councillor, and Shin Yeong's grandson Shin Heum (申欽) became Chief State Councillor and Director of the Office of Special Advisors under King Injo, remembered as one of the great prose writers of mid-Joseon.
Shin Heum's son Shin Ik-seong (申翊聖) and Left State Councillor Shin Eung-jo (申應朝) under King Gojong also belong to this branch, which is described as a line of civil officials, in contrast to the many military men of the Munhui-gong branch.
The Sagan-gong branch descends from Shin Ho (申浩, ?-1432), posthumously titled Sagan, a grandson of Shin Gun-pyeong (申君平). Under Kings Taejong and Sejong he served as governor of Punghae and Jeolla provinces and as Minister of Revenue. With the Munhui-gong branch, it is counted among the largest Pyeongsan Shin branches.
His sixth-generation descendant Shin Jeom (申點) was made a Seonmu merit subject for service in the Imjin War, and the branch also produced Shin Im (申銋) under King Sukjong, the brothers Shin Man (申晩) and Shin Hoe (申晦), both Chief State Councillors under King Yeongjo, and Shin Jae-sik (申在植), Director of the Office of Special Advisors under King Heonjong. The statesman Shin Ik-hui (申翼熙) also belonged to this branch.
The Jejeong-gong branch descends from Shin Hyo-chang (申孝昌). According to the Pyeongsan Shin genealogy, he was a grandson of Shin Gun-pyeong (申君平) and a son of Shin Su (申璲), making him a cousin of Shin Ho, founder of the Sagan-gong branch.
It is counted, along with the Sagan-gong, Munhui-gong, Jeongeon-gong and Hanseongyun-gong branches, among the more populous Pyeongsan Shin branches.
The Pansa-gong branch descends from Shin Deuk-cheong (申得淸), who held the posts of Pan-yebinsisa and Taebok Pansa in late Goryeo. He is said to have been a grandson of the scholar Shin Hyeon (申賢).
In early Joseon the branch lived at Hapgang-ri in Jinbo, Cheongsong, and after the Imjin War settled in Jungpyeong village in Pacheon-myeon, Cheongsong. The branch head house built there by Shin Han-tae in 1705 is designated a National Folklore Heritage, together with the neighbouring Seobyeok and Sanam houses.
The Hanseongyun-gong branch descends from Shin Ha (申夏, 1324-1416), a 15th-generation descendant of the founder Shin Sung-gyeom, who served as Hanseongyun (Magistrate of Hanseong). He is recorded as the first son in the line Yeon (衍) - Jungmyeong (仲明) - Gunpyeong (君平) - Gyu (珪); he is also said to have been called Ha-geom (夏檢), with courtesy names Ha-cheong (夏靑) or Yun-yeo (允麗).
According to the board of the Pyeongsan Shin head clan association, after serving as Jeonseo he rose to Hanseongyun, opposed Yi Seong-gye's founding of Joseon in 1392, and was exiled to Hamhung in Hamgyeong Province. After the founding he is said to have been enrolled as a merit subject (Sungnok daebu, Byeong-ui yukdeok bojo gongsin), and in 2007 he was enshrined at the Goryeo Unification Hall in Paju. The same text links this honor to a granddaughter of the Cheongju Han family being honored as Queen Sinui, but the chronology does not fit well, so that point needs verification.
His grave is said to be in Deogeumam-dong, Deokcheon-myeon, Hamhung (facing gye direction); his wife was of the Papyeong Yun family. His sons are listed as Ga-gwon (magistrate), Ga-ui (Gaeseong deputy), Ga-rye (vice-minister) and Ga-bae (civil examination graduate); sons-in-law include Han Gyeong of Cheongju, Ju In of Sinan, Jo Mal-saeng of Yangju and Yi Su of Bongsan. The memorial rite is said to be held on the 19th day of the 9th lunar month.
Note: this is a condensed summary of the clan association's post; please confirm lineage and details in your own genealogy book.
The Milji-gong branch descends from Shin A (申雅), 15th generation, first son in the line Yeon - Jungmyeong - Jip - Ikji. The clan association page describes him as a scholar-official (courtesy name Dam-su, pen name Hancheonja) who passed the civil examination in 1357, associated with Jeong Mong-ju and Yi Saek, and retired to Hancheon in Pyeongsan after Goryeo fell. He is said to be counted among the 72 loyal officials of Dumundong and enshrined at the Dumundong Seowon. The memorial day is the 1st of the 10th lunar month.
The Bongsangyun-gong branch descends from Shin Jeong-do (申丁道, d. 1446), 15th generation, who rose to Bongsangsi-yun (senior 3rd rank). The clan association page lists him as first son in the line Yeon - Jungmyeong - Jip - I, with the courtesy name Yu-ji, and cites a record of his proposal in the Annals of King Taejong (1404). His grave is said to be in Gojireung-dong, Pyeongsan.
The Jangnyeong-gong branch descends from Shin Jeong-ri (申丁理), 15th generation, second son of Shin I and thus a younger brother of the Bongsangyun-gong founder. The clan association page says he served as Jangnyeong (1421), Hogun (1424) and Ugun-gyeongnyeok (1425). His grave is said to be near Seonunsa in Gochang, North Jeolla.
The Hyeonnyeong-gong branch descends from Shin Gam (申鑑), 15th generation, first son of Shin An and elder brother of Shin Gae of the Munhui-gong branch. The clan association page says he served in the Jiphyeonjeon in Goryeo, declined the post of Magistrate of Seoheung after Joseon was founded, and died a martyr in the Dumundong fire. His memorial altar is said to be in Yangju, Gyeonggi.
The Daejehak-gong branch descends from Shin Yeon (申演), 15th generation, second son of Shin Hon and younger brother of Shin Ho of the Sagan-gong branch. Described as a late-Goryeo Grand Academician, he is said to have entered Dumundong with his father and brother and died a martyr when Goryeo fell.
The Onsugam-gong branch descends from Shin Gi (申淇, 1365-1393), 15th generation, third son of Shin Hon, who held the post of Onsugam under King Gongyang. The clan association page relates that when his father decided to enter Dumundong, the eldest brother Ho stayed on to preserve the family line while the other three entered and died as martyrs. His son Yong is said to have held a spirit-recalling rite and buried him in Seocheon, South Chungcheong, where he is enshrined at Yulrisa. The memorial day is the 5th of the 3rd lunar month.
The Jeonseo-gong branch descends from Shin Ho (申灝), 15th generation (a different person from Shin Ho 申浩 of the Sagan-gong branch), first son of Shin U. He is said to have risen to Jeonseo and retired to Pyeongsan after Joseon was founded, and is enshrined at the Dumundong and Dongyang seowon. The memorial rite is held on the last Sunday of April (solar calendar).
The Isang-gong branch descends from Shin In-gi (申仁錡, pen name Duun), 15th generation, first son of Shin Sun. Said to have served as Chamsung and Hallim scholar in Goryeo, he withdrew to Duwon-got in Heungyang (Goheung) after Joseon's founding. The branch's village in Daeji-ri, Bongsan-myeon, Yesan is said to date from the exile of his 17th-generation descendant Shin Suk-seo in connection with a plot to restore King Danjong.
The Jinsa-gong branch descends from Shin Yu (申維), 15th generation, second son of Yun-gong in the line Jamyeong - Jungjeon - Yun-gong. He is said to have passed the jinsa examination in the same year as Yi Seong-gye, retired to Yecheon after the founding of Joseon, and declined repeated summons. The memorial day is the 3rd of the 10th lunar month.
The Gamchal-gong branch descends from Shin Gang (申綱), 15th generation, third son of Yun-gong and younger brother of the Jinsa-gong founder. He is said to have served as Inspector in the Office of the Inspector-General in Goryeo. His grave is recorded as lost.
The Panyun-gong branch descends from Shin Si-hyeon (申時見), 15th generation, who held the post of Hanseong Panyun. The clan page notes that details of his life are missing from the genealogy. His grave is lost; his memorial altar is said to be in Daebu-dong, Ansan.
The Champan-gong branch descends from Shin Do-ji (申道之), 15th generation, Vice-Minister of Revenue. The clan page says his grave and records are lost and descendants are still seeking the family's origin.
The Gunsu-gong branch descends from Shin U-bang (申佑邦), 15th generation, first son in the line Yeon - Heonju - Uk - Hyeon. His grave is lost. A branch council was formed in 1980 and registered with the head clan association in 1989; around 800 members are said to live in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Gwangju and South Jeolla.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
Shin Sung-gyeom, Shin Gae, Shin Rip, Shin Gyeong-jin, Shin Heum, Shin Saimdang, Shin Heon, Shin Ik-hui, Shin Dol-seok, Shin Pal-gyun
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
평산 신씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
The Pyeongsan Shin clan (平山 申氏) has its ancestral seat in Pyeongsan, Hwanghae Province; the place was renamed Pyeongsan in 1413 under King Taejong. Its founder Shin Sung-gyeom (申崇謙, d. 927), first named Neung-san, is said to have been born in Gokseong, South Jeolla. A cavalry commander under Taebong, he joined Hong Yu, Bae Hyeon-gyeong and Bok Ji-gyeom in 918 in enthroning Wang Geon and became a founding merit subject of Goryeo.
Tradition holds that while hunting in Pyeong-ju, Wang Geon had him shoot the left wing of the third of three wild geese; impressed, the king granted him 300 gyeol of land and made Pyeongsan his ancestral seat. In 927 at the Battle of Gongsan, Shin, who resembled the king, is said to have taken Wang Geon's place and died in battle; Taejo had him buried with honors at Chuncheon and gave him the posthumous title Jangjeol (壯節). In 1120 King Yejong is said to have written the song Doijang-ga in memory of Shin Sung-gyeom and Kim Rak.
The family is described as rising under the three sons of the 11th-generation Shin Yeon: Jungmyeong, Jamyeong and Heonju. Descendants include Shin Gae (Munhui-gong), Left State Councillor under Sejong who took part in compiling the History of Goryeo, as well as Shin Ho (Sagan-gong) and Shin Hyo (Jeongeon-gong). In Joseon the clan produced the Imjin War general Shin Rip, his son Shin Gyeong-jin (a Chief State Councillor and Injo Restoration merit subject), the literary master Shin Heum, and the painter and writer Shin Saimdang. In modern times the commoner righteous-army leader Shin Dol-seok, independence fighter Shin Pal-gyun and statesman Shin Ik-hui are known to come from this clan. The clan association states that in the late Joseon period it produced 8 State Councillors, 5 Daejehak, 20 ministers and 302 civil-examination graduates (figures vary between sources).
The clan is said to have split into 19 branches from the 15th generation after the founder. The Munhui-gong (founder Shin Gae) and Sagan-gong (Shin Ho) branches are each said to account for about 30% and the Jejeong-gong (Shin Hyo-chang) for about 25%; others include the Jeongeon-gong, Milji-gong, Bongsangyun-gong, Jangnyeong-gong, Hyeonnyeong-gong, Hanseongyun-gong, Onsugam-gong, Daejehak-gong, Jeonseo-gong, Isang-gong, Pansa-gong, Jinsa-gong, Gamchal-gong, Panyun-gong, Champan-gong and Gunsu-gong. Please confirm your branch in your own genealogy book.
The founder's tomb is in Bangdong-ri, Seo-myeon, Chuncheon, Gangwon; it is known for three burial mounds, with rites on the 3rd of the 3rd and the 9th of the 9th lunar months. Related sites include Pyochungsa in Jimyo-dong, Daegu (Daegu Monument No. 1), the Yeonggak Yuheobi and Moyeongjae in Pyeonggwang-dong (Daegu Cultural Heritage Material No. 46), and, in Gokseong, the Yongsandan at Gurong-ri (said to be his birthplace) and Deogyang Seowon, jointly designated South Jeolla Monument No. 56. Shrines such as Gyeongbaeksa and Yulrisa are also recorded.
Side note: Deogyang Seowon in Gokseong was founded by descendants in 1589; its lecture and lodging halls are said to have burned in the Imjin and Jeongyu wars while the shrine and tablets survived, it was demolished in the 1871 purge of private academies and re-established in 1934.
The 평산 신씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
✍ Request additions / corrections to the 평산 신씨 family tree infoStart your family tree free →