Royal son-in-law of King Jungjong and calligrapher skilled in regular script; Lord Yeoseong; pen name Iam; posthumous title Mundan
| Life | 1517 ~ 1584 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 여산 송씨 |
Song In (1517-1584) was a mid-Joseon royal son-in-law and calligrapher of the Yeosan Song clan, with the courtesy name Myeongjung (明仲), pen name Iam (頤菴) and posthumous title Mundan (文端). He was a grandson of Chief State Councillor Song Jil and a son of Song Ji-han; his mother was of the Uiryeong Nam clan and he is said to have grown up in his maternal home after losing her young. He is a different person from the Goryeo official Song In, the "middle founder" of the Jincheon Song clan.
At ten he married Princess Jeongsun, King Jungjong's third daughter by a concubine, and under King Myeongjong he was enfeoffed as Lord Yeoseong. He held posts reserved for royal sons-in-law, such as the Uibinbu, Chunghunbu, Saongwon and Sangiwon, and rose to Dochonggwan; in later years he is said to have served as an adviser to King Seonjo. He associated with scholars of his day such as Yi Hwang, Jo Sik, Jeong Ryeom, Yi I and Seong Hon.
Skilled in both prose and calligraphy, he left many texts and inscriptions, from epitaphs for royal tombs and plaques for palaces to stelae for officials, and is said to have written especially fine regular script in the manner of Wuxing (Zhao Mengfu). His writing survives on the Deokheung Daewongun spirit-way stele in Yangju, the epitaph of Song Ji-han, the Hwangsan Victory Monument in Namwon and the stele of Chief State Councillor Hong Eon-pil in Namyang. His collected works are the Iam yugo.
Song In's writing survives more on stone than in private albums. The Hwangsan Victory Monument in Namwon, the spirit-way stele of Deokheung Daewongun and the stele of Chief State Councillor Hong Eon-pil are attributed to his hand, showing that he was widely used as the calligrapher of stelae for the court of his day.
The location of his tomb could not be confirmed.