오준 吳竣
Master calligrapher who wrote the Samjeondo stele text; Minister of Rites and Senior Minister; pen name Jungnam
| Life | 1587 ~ 1666 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 동복 오씨 |
Life & career
O Jun (1587-1666) was a mid-Joseon official and calligrapher from Dongbok, courtesy name Yeowan, pen name Jungnam, son of Vice-Minister of Personnel O Baek-ryeong. He passed the 1618 special civil examination and rose through royal secretary, censor and editor to governor of Hanseong, Minister of Rites and of Punishments, Inspector-General, and in 1660 Second Minister and chief of the Office of Ministers-without-Portfolio. He went several times as envoy to Qing.
A pupil of Han Seok-bong, he excelled in a graceful standard script after Wang Xizhi, and calligraphy of the "Nikkosan Joseon dungnomyeong" survives in Nikko, Japan. Encyclopedia-based sources add that under Hyojong he took part in compiling the Veritable Records of Injo.
He is best known for writing the text of the Samjeondo stele after the 1636 Manchu invasion, an act recorded as a lifelong shame to him. O Gwang-un had him as great-great-grandfather, and his brother O Dan was Grand Prince Inpyeong's father-in-law.
His Era
O Jun was active under Injo, Hyojong and Hyeonjong, a time of the 1636 Manchu invasion, the later northern-expedition debate and the ritual disputes. His repeated envoy missions to Qing show he was valued as a writer and calligrapher who could handle diplomatic documents. Writing the Samjeondo stele text was done at official request but recorded as a lifelong shame, a frequent example of personal talent meeting a national humiliation.
The Samjeondo Stele
The Samjeondo stele was set up after King Injo's surrender to the Qing emperor, and O Jun wrote its text. It is recorded that he regarded this as a lifelong shame. The photos below show the stele in Songpa, Seoul.
Calligraphy and Offices
He learned from Han Seok-bong and wrote in the Wang Xizhi standard style, with work surviving at Nikko in Japan. He is presented as eldest son of O Baek-ryeong in the Mukjae-gong branch.
Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia of Korean Culture-based material; genealogies may differ.
Grave
His tomb location was not confirmed here.
Related photos
