Founder of the Changnyeong Cho clan; Prince Changseong
| Life | 571년(일설 626년) ~ 651년(일설) |
| Era | 신라 |
| Clan | 창녕 조씨 |
Jo Gye-ryong (曺繼龍) is the founder of the Changnyeong Cho clan. He is known as a son-in-law of King Jinpyeong of Silla and is said to have been enfeoffed as Prince Changseong and to have served in posts such as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. His courtesy name is given as Ingyeong (鱗卿).
A surname legend surrounds his birth. Ye-hyang, daughter of the Hallim scholar Yi Gwang-ok, prayed at the Dragon Pond (Yongji) on Hwawangsan in Changnyeong and then gave birth to a son. Because the character '曺' appeared under the child's arm, the king granted him a surname and a given name. The legend is recorded in the Yeoji doseo (1760s), the Gyeongsang-do eupji (1832) and the Yeongnam eupji (1895).
Sources differ on his dates. The legend places his birth in 626, while another source gives 571–651. One account says he married Queen Seondeok, but this does not match the historical records. Because no genealogy survives for the generations after him, the clan counts Jo Gyeom (曺謙), who married Princess Deokgong, a daughter of King Taejo of Goryeo, as its mid-founder and first generation.
Ye-hyang, daughter of the Hallim scholar Yi Gwang-ok, prayed at the Dragon Pond on Hwawangsan and bore a son with the character '曺' under his arm. For this reason the king is said to have granted him a surname and a given name. The story appears in the Yeoji doseo, the Gyeongsang-do eupji (1832) and the Yeongnam eupji (1895).
The 'Site of the Changnyeong Cho Surname Legend' at San 322, Okcheon-ri, Changnyeong-eup, was designated South Gyeongsang Provincial Monument No. 246 on 17 April 2003. It is managed by the Changnyeong Cho Hwawangsan Surname Site Preservation Society. Its stele was erected in 1897 by Jo Si-yeong (曺始永), Governor of Gyeongsang Province, and is inscribed '昌寧曺氏得姓之地'. The area is recorded as 10,053㎡ by the Korea Heritage Service and as 4,500㎡ by Wikipedia.
Because no genealogy survives for the generations after Jo Gye-ryong, the Changnyeong Cho clan counts Jo Gyeom (曺謙), son-in-law of King Taejo of Goryeo, as its mid-founder. Korean Wikipedia lists around 48 branches, and it is generally held that most other seats of the 曺 surname branched from Changnyeong. The founder is therefore taken as a symbolic origin not only of this clan but of the whole 曺 surname.
Notable descendants include the late-Goryeo Left Chancellor Jo Ik-cheong, the Danjong-era Associate Director Jo Sang-chi, the mid-Joseon scholar Jo Sik and the modern figures Jo Man-sik and Jo Bong-am. Their stories can be seen by line on the Changnyeong Cho clan page.
His grave has not been identified. The site associated with the surname legend is the 'Site of the Changnyeong Cho Surname Legend' (South Gyeongsang Provincial Monument No. 246) at San 322, Okcheon-ri, Changnyeong-eup.
The entire Changnyeong Cho clan honors him as its founder. Its mid-founder is Jo Gyeom, and the clan is divided into about 48 branches, including the Yangpyeonggong and Bujehakgong branches.