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Hyujeong (, 1520-1604), also called Seosan Daesa (서산대사, 西山大師) was a Korean Seon master. As was common for monks in this time, he travelled from place to place, living in a succession of monasteries.
Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...
had been forced to keep a low profile since General Yi Seonggye had been forced to eject Buddhism from its state of total permeation of government in order to gain the support of Neo-Confucian scholar-officials to consolidate his position against his Buddhist political opponents when he overthrew
Gongyang of Goryeo Gongyang of Goryeo (9 March 1345 – 17 May 1394) was the 34th and final ruler of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He was the descendant of Duke Yangyang, brother of King Huijong. He was deposed by Yi Seong-gye, who then established the new Jos ...
in 1392 to become King
Taejo of Joseon Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...
. Before ever having tested his hand as a military commander, Hyujeong was a first-rate Seon master and the author of a number of important religious texts, the most important of which is probably his ''Seongagwigam'' (), a guide to Seon practice studied by Korean monks even today. Like most monks of the Joseon period, Hyujeong had been initially educated in Neo-Confucian philosophy. Dissatisfied, though, he wandered through the mountain monasteries. Later, after making a name for himself as a teacher, he was made arbiter of the Seon school by
Myeongjong of Joseon Myeongjong of Joseon (3 July 1534 – 3 August 1567, r. 1545–1567) was the 13th king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Jungjong, and his mother was Queen Munjeong, who was Jungjong's third queen. He became king ...
, who was sympathetic towards Buddhism. He soon resigned from this responsibility, though, returning to the itinerant life, advancing his Seon studies and teaching at monasteries all around Korea. At the beginning of the 1590s,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
, after stabilising Sengoku-era Japan under his rule, made preparations for a large-scale invasion of Joseon. Joseon was unaware and was unprepared for the Japanese invasion. In 1592, after Japan’s request for aid conquering
Ming China The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
was rebuffed, approximately 200,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Joseon, and the
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
began. At the beginning of the first invasion,
Seonjo of Joseon Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...
fled the capital, leaving a weak, poorly trained army to defend the country. In desperation he called on Hyujeong to organise monks into guerilla units. Even at 73 years of age he managed to recruit and deploy some 5,000 of these warrior monks, who enjoyed some instrumental successes. At first, the government armies of Joseon suffered repeated defeats, and the Japanese armies marched north up to
Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...
and Hamgyong Province. At sea, however, the Joseon navy, under the command of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, enjoyed successive victories. Throughout the country, loyal volunteer armies formed and fought against the Japanese together with the warrior monks and the government armies of Joseon. The presence of Hyujeong's monk army, operating out of the Heungguksa deep in the mountain of
Yeongchwisan Yeongchwisan is a mountain of Jeollanam-do, southwestern South Korea. It has an elevation of 510 metres. See also *List of mountains of Korea The following is a list of mountains in Korea: List of mountains in North Korea Pyeongyang * Taeson ...
, was a critical factor in the eventual expulsion of the Japanese invaders in 1593 and again in 1598. The Taekwon-Do pattern Seo-San is named in his honor.


References

*韓國佛敎人名辭典(1993). Lee, Jeong(ed.) (The Korean Buddhist Biographical Dictionary,) Bulgyosidaesa(publisher), p. 366.


See also

* Yujeong {{Authority control 1520 births Seon Buddhist monks Korean Buddhist monks Korean Zen Buddhists Zen Buddhism writers Year of death unknown 16th-century Korean people 16th-century Korean philosophers Joseon Buddhist monks