황형 黃衡
Military officer who routed the Japanese at Jepo during the Disturbance of the Three Ports, rose to Minister of Works; posthumous title Jangmu
| Life | 1459 ~ 1520 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 창원 황씨 |
Life & career
Hwang Hyeong (黃衡, 1459-1520) was a military officer under Seongjong and Jungjong and belonged to the Changwon Hwang clan, with courtesy name Eonpyeong (彦平). His great-great-grandfather was Hwang Seok-gi (黃石奇), enfeoffed as Hoesan-gun in Goryeo and founder of the Gonghui-gong branch; his great-grandfather was Hwang Chang, his grandfather Hwang Seon-gyeong, a county magistrate, and his father Hwang Ye-heon, a construction-office official. His mother is given as a daughter of Nam In-bo of the Uiryeong Nam clan. One source lists his father as a minister of war, so records differ.
He passed the military and Jinhyeon examinations in 1480 and is said to have placed first in the 1486 re-examination. In 1510, during the Disturbance of the Three Ports, he went out as defense commander and crushed the Japanese at Jepo in Ungcheon. Wikipedia gives his post as defense commander of Left Jeolla, while other sources say Left Gyeongsang. He was then made military commander of Gyeongsang, put down an uprising of Jurchen tribes in Hamgyeong in 1512 as inspector-general, held commands in Pyeongan and North Hamgyeong, and rose to Minister of Works.
When he died in 1520, King Jungjong is said to have granted the posthumous title Jangmu (莊武) and given land around Yeonmijeong in Ganghwa, with fields and hills, to pay for the funeral. He is said to have spent his last years at Yeonmijeong, now Incheon Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 24. His tomb in Ganghwa was designated Incheon Monument No. 65 in 2013, and descendants hold a rite at Jangmusa on the first day of the tenth lunar month. The pine-tree story told about Yeonmijeong is folklore and should be read as such.
The Disturbance of the Three Ports began in April 1510 when Japanese residents at Busanpo, Jepo and Yeompo rose with support from Tsushima; after crushing it Joseon cut trade for a time and then allowed it again under the Imsin Agreement of 1512. Hwang Hyeong is known as one of the commanders who put it down, and he is said to have spent over thirty years as a frontier officer. One source gives about 40,000 descendants, though the exact figure is unconfirmed.
The Three Ports Disturbance
The 1510 disturbance was an uprising by Japanese residents at Busanpo, Jepo and Yeompo. Hwang Hyeong is said to have crushed the rebels at Jepo as defense commander; sources differ on whether his command was Left Jeolla or Left Gyeongsang.
A Frontier Commander
He later suppressed the Jurchen revolt in Hamgyeong as inspector-general and served as military commander in Pyeongan and North Hamgyeong, guarding the southern, western and northern borders. He rose to Minister of Works, and his descendants are said to form the Jangmu-gong branch.
Yeonmijeong and Jangmusa
King Jungjong is said to have granted the Yeonmijeong area, and his tomb is Incheon Monument No. 65. A rite is held at Jangmusa on the first day of the tenth lunar month.
Grave
His tomb stands in Ganghwa County, Incheon, designated Incheon Monument No. 65. The site includes a spirit-way stele and the shrine Jangmusa.
Descendants
His son Hwang Gi served as Royal Secretary and Governor of Gyeonggi, and his great-grandson Hwang Sin became Minister of Taxation. His descendants are said to have settled around Ganghwa.