Gimseongil Jongga Historical Documents

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.906

Category

Books & Records

Designated year

1987

Location

안동시, 경상북도— 경상북도 안동시

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

These are ancient documents that have been preserved in the head house of Kim Seong-il (1538-1593, pen-name: Hakbong), who was a loyal servant and scholar under the rule of King Seonjo (r. 1567-1608) of the Joseon Dynasty. Kim Seong-il from Uiseong passed the civil service examination in 1568 (first year of King Seonjo’s reign) and served in many government posts. Later, he was sent to the Ming Dynasty of China as a member of an envoy in 1576 (ninth year of King Seonjo’s reign) and to Japan with Hwang Yun-gil in 1590 (23rd year of King Seonjo’s reign). In the second lunar month of the following year, coming back from Japan, Hwang Yun-gil insisted on the possibility of Japan’s aggression, whereas Kim Seong-il made a report to the contrary. When the Japanese invasion broke out in 1592 (25th year of King Seonjo’s reign), the king wanted him punished. Thanks to Ryu Seong-ryong’s lobbying, however, Kim Seong-il was released; he recorded military achievements by raising a righteous army. The entire documents preserved in the head house include nearly 10,000 items such as royal edicts, royal orders, records of property inheritance, private letters, and invocations, but only 242 books of 17 kinds were collectively designated as Treasure. These documents are helpful not only in studying Kim Seong-il’s life but also in identifying the lineage of Uiseong Kim’s Clan.