Taein scholar who supplied provisions to righteous armies in the Imjin War; pen name Wonmodang
| Life | 1540 ~ 1620 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 도강 김씨 |
Kim Hu-jin (金後進, 1540-1620), of the Dogang Kim, came from Taein (today Chilbo-myeon, Jeongeup, North Jeolla). His courtesy name was Biseung and his pen names Wonmodang, Sajae and Yeondam; he is introduced as a descendant of Kim Hoe-ryeon and grandson of Kim Hui-yeol, the Panggwan. A disciple of Yi Hang, he was versed in the classics and the Book of Changes and studied Neo-Confucian texts such as the Garye, Simgyeong and Geunsarok.
When the Imjin War broke out in 1592 he joined the volunteer force raised by Yi Gwi at Jangseong and collected provisions for it; in 1593 he is said to have led over a hundred men to Uiju, met King Seonjo and delivered several hundred seok of grain. He also sent provisions to the camps of Go Gyeong-myeong and Min Yeo-un and bought cloth to make clothing for Ming troops.
For this he was posthumously given a post at the Gunjagam but did not take it, later rising posthumously to a Gungisi post and, under King Gojong, to Vice Minister of Taxation. He is remembered for three years of mourning at the graves of each parent and is enshrined at Namcheonsa in Chilbo-myeon. The source article carries a notice of unclear sourcing, so details need cross-checking.
Yi Hang is known as a scholar who taught in Taein and started one strand of Honam Neo-Confucianism. Kim Hu-jin's study under him shows the Dogang Kim establishing themselves as a scholarly family at Taein.
Volunteer armies depended heavily on grain from local scholars and wealthy families without government supply. The efforts of men like Kim Hu-jin, who gathered provisions and sent them to the front and the king's side, are credited with sustaining the movement.
His tomb could not be confirmed.