Historian and enlightenment-era educator who compiled Gukjo inmulji; pen name Hamjae
| Life | 1924 |
| Era | 개항기~일제강점기 |
| Clan | 광주 안씨 |
An Jong-hwa (?-1924) was a historian, enlightenment activist and educator of the open-port and Korean Empire era from Gwangju, courtesy name Saeung, pen name Hamjae (涵齋). Born in Hongyang, he was a son of An Gi-won. In the Korean Empire he served as a Ministry of Justice secretary and Privy Council member.
He passed the civil examination in 1894 and served in the Imperial Household, Ministry of Justice and the Crown Prince's tutorial office before the Privy Council. His father is known as a disciple of Kim Jeong-hui and Hong Jik-pil, and An is credited with inheriting the Silhak scholars' historical consciousness.
When the Eulsa Treaty was forced in 1905, he joined Yi U-myeon, Bak Bong-ju and Yun Du-byeong in a petition calling for its repeal and the execution of the five traitors after Choe Ik-hyeon's, and returned home when it was not accepted. He was a council member of the Giho Heunghakhoe in 1908 and died in 1924.
In 1878 he wrote his first history, Dongsa chwiyo (manuscript), the basis of the 1904 Dongsa jeolyo. In 1907 he published Gukjo inmulji, covering 3,000 Joseon figures, an attempt at a person-centered Korean history. His treating Dangun as the first sage and trying to cover history before the Three Kingdoms shows how closely his historical outlook was tied to national consciousness.
After the 1905 treaty he worked with the Daehan Jagang-hoe and Giho Heunghakhoe and compiled textbooks such as Chodeung bongguk yeoksa (1909), Chodeung manguk jiri (1909), Chodeung Daehan jiri (1910) and Chodeung saengni wiseang daeyo (1908), in line with intellectuals of the time who spread knowledge beyond their specialty.
The Encyclopedia sees An Jong-hwa's historical writing since the open-port era as continuing and developing the Silhak scholars' historical consciousness. One might see the general-history tradition of An Jeong-bok's Dongsa gangmok continuing 150 years later in An Jong-hwa's Dongsa jeolyo, but no direct link between them was confirmed in sources.
The location of his grave was not confirmed.