The Munhwa Ryu clan or Munhwa Yu clan of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

(

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 문화 류씨 or 문화 유씨, Hanja: 文化柳氏) is one of the great aristocratic houses of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

and

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. Munhwa is the name of the

clan seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal house, residence of the landed gentry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a ...

, a township in modern-day

Sinchon County Sinch'ŏn County is a county in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Geography Sinch'ŏn is bordered to the north by Anak, to the west by Samch'ŏn and T'aet'an, to the south by Pyŏksŏng and Sinwŏn, and to the east by Chaeryŏng. Most of t ...

Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

province,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. The surname "Ryu" comes from the character meaning

willow tree Willows are a genus of trees. Willow Tree may refer to: Places * Willow Tree, New South Wales, a village in Australia * Willow Tree railway station, in Australia * Willow Tree (LIRR station), a railway station in New York Entertainment * "Willow ...

. Hence, the lineage is also called "willow Ryu" (버들 류씨). In the early tenth century AD the clan's progenitor

Ryu Cha-dal Ryu Cha-dal (류차달) is the founder of the Korean Munhwa Ryu clan. He was born in 28 August, 880AD by the lunar calendar and was named the lord (호족) of Munwha as well as given the title De-seung-gong (대승공) and his sur name by King ...

(류차달, 柳車達) was instrumental in defeating subversive forces and reuniting the kingdom under a new regime, the Goryeo dynasty (고려왕조; 918–1392). For his loyalty and service King Taejo rewarded Ryu with estates and the title "helper in great victory" (대승공, 大丞公). Until recently, it was thought that the Cha clan (차, 車) shared the same lineage as the Munhwa Ryu clan. However, historians have proven that this was in fact an error. There are around 300,000 individuals in the clan. The clan is further divided into many smaller branches that were founded by people of Korean historical significance.

Connected members

* Princess Munseong * Grand Princess Consort Munhwa

External links

* * (in English) {{Official website, http://www.moonhwaryu.kr/home/site/english.html Yu clans

Connected members

See also

External links