안방준 安邦俊
Honam Neo-Confucian scholar who raised righteous armies in the Imjin, 1627 and 1636 wars; pen name Eunbong, posthumous title Mungang
| Life | 1573 ~ 1654 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 죽산 안씨 |
Life & career
An Bang-jun (安邦俊, 1573-1654) was a mid-Joseon Neo-Confucian scholar and righteous-army leader of the Juksan An clan, with early name Sammun, courtesy name Saeon and pen names Eunbong and Usan. He was born in Oya-ri (now Usan-ri, Boseong-eup) in Boseong, South Jeolla. The name Eunbong is said to combine one syllable each from the names of Jeong Mong-ju (Poeun) and Jo Heon (Jungbong), whom he revered. His great-great-grandfather An Beom was a county magistrate and his grandfather An Chuk a governor who, with Kim In-hu and Im Eok-ryeong, was called one of the Three Eminent Men of Honam. He became the adopted son of An Jung-don when that uncle died suddenly during an examination, and his wife was of the Gyeongju Jeong clan.
At 11 he studied Neo-Confucianism under Bak Gwang-jeon, a disciple of Yi Hwang, and at 19 entered the school of Seong Hon. When the Imjin War began in 1592 he served as staff officer under the righteous armies of Bak Gwang-jeon and Im Gye-yeong, and in 1596 wrote Jinju seosa on the second siege of Jinju. He compiled and published Jo Heon's Hangui sinpyeon (1613) and Donghwan bongsa (1622); Yi Gwi was so moved that he proposed to King Injo that it be distributed. He declined the court's summons under Gwanghaegun.
In the 1627 Manchu invasion he circulated a call to arms and set out as a righteous-army leader of Honam, and in 1636 he led several hundred men as far as Yeosan. He submitted memorials against peace with the Qing and in old age taught disciples at Eunbong Jeongsa in Neungju, Hwasun. Under Hyojong he was named to posts such as assistant minister of works, remonstrator and councillor but did not take them up, and he died at Eunbong Jeongsa on 13 November 1654, aged 82. He was posthumously raised to minister of personnel and received the posthumous title Mungang in 1821. His writings such as Jinju seosa and Honam uirok remain important sources for the study of righteous armies and factional struggles. Classed with the Westerners, he is praised for making the breaking of factions his life's task, though some also criticize him for favoring the Westerners.
Writings and the Eunbong jeonseo
On the Imjin War he left works such as Jinju seosa, Imjeong chungjeol sajeok and Honam uirok; for the spirit of the literati, Gimyo yujeok and Hangui sinpyeon; and on factional struggles Honjeong pyeonrok and Gichuk gisa. His collected writings were published as Usanjip (1773) and Eunbong jeonseo (1864; 38 volumes plus a 2-volume appendix) and were completed in 1969 as 44 volumes in 21 books. The photograph shows the 1864 edition of the Eunbong jeonseo.
Shrine and Academies
The Eunbong shrine at the Usan-ri head house in Boseong is an eternal-shrine hall built in 1879 by head descendant An Yeong-hwan and rebuilt in 1999; the death-day rite is held on the 13th of the eleventh lunar month. Daegye Seowon was founded in 1657, received a royal plaque in 1704, was demolished in 1868 and re-established in 2012. He is co-enshrined at Dowon Seowon (Dongbok, Hwasun) with Choe San-du, Im Eok-ryeong and Jeong Gu, and Dosansa (Neungju, Hwasun, built in 1656) was demolished in 1868 and never rebuilt, leaving only a site monument.
The Posthumous-Title Edict
The posthumous title Mungang was conferred in 1821. The photograph shows the edict (the year and rank of his posthumous promotion differ between Wikipedia's text and infobox, appearing as vice-minister or minister of personnel).
The Eunbong Shrine
This is the shrine (Usan Jaesa) at the Usan-ri head house in Boseong, built in 1879 by head descendant An Yeong-hwan at his own expense and rebuilt in 1999 with the cooperation of descendants.
Grave
A lodge named Haksan Jaesa stands in Bokgyo-ri, Nam-myeon, Hwasun, and a tomb at 'Galhakdeung' is mentioned, but its exact location and layout were not confirmed.
Descendants
His eldest son An Hu-ji (pen name Songeum, posthumously a royal secretary) had sons such as An Jeon (licentiate, magistrate of Songhwa), An Eum and An Hoe. The Eunbong head house at Usan-ri in Boseong has been kept by head descendants including An Yeong-hwan, An Gyu-sam, An Byeong-mun and An Jae-ho, and the death-day rite is held at the ancestral shrine on the 13th day of the eleventh lunar month.