心山 金昌淑의 ‘記’ 연구 – <橫川亭記>를 중심으로 –

Abstract

The present study provides a biographical examination of Simsan Kim Chang- suk focused on his essay “Hoengcheonjeonggi(橫川亭記).” The study explores Simsan’s earlier life until the age of 35, before he started to commit himself to the liberation of his country from Japanese rule. For his later life, with his involvement in the Independence Movement and his role in sending a joint petition for Korea’s independence to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, has been extensively covered by earlier studies, this paper attempts to illuminate his early years, which might be a blind spot in the study of Simsan’s life. For this purpose, it reviews his autobiographical essay “Byeogong’s Recollection of the Seventy-three Years of His Life (Byeogong chilsipsamnyeon hoesanggi ).” Simsan’s spiritual anchor was his father Kim Ho-rim. Although he passed away when his son was only 18 years old, his progressive ideas for the abolition of class distinctions and the emancipation of slaves profoundly affected the young Simsan, providing guidance for how he should live his adult life. Simsan wrote “On Hoengcheon Pavilion” following the literary tradition of “honoring ancestors (chuwon) and enlightening social custom (punggyo).” The pavilion was located in the town of Miryang, where Yigye Kim Wu-hong served as a magistrate and his descendants settled down. In this essay, Simsan named the pavilion compound “Hoengcheon (horizontal stream),” and its three buildings, “Jijok (contentment),” “Mucheom (no disgrace)” and “Nangnae (coming joy).” By writing an essay on the buildings and celebrating them with these names, Simsan seems to have intended to revive the Kim clan of Euiseong, which had been reduced to an undistinguished kinship group, and restore the prestige the clan enjoyed at the time of his preeminent ancestor Yigye.