Yi Am (Goryeo)

Yi Am (李嵒, 1297 – 1364) was a civil official of late Goryeo. His family seat was Goseong (固城), his pen name was Haengchon (杏村), and his posthumous name was Munjeong (文貞). He took the pen name Haengchon from the name of the village on Ganghwa Island where he had been exiled. His original name was Yi Gunhae (李君侅), his courtesy name was Ikji (翼之), and he later changed his name to Am (嵒) and his courtesy name to Goun (古雲).

Life

He was the great-grandson of Yi Jin (瑨), who passed the civil service examination during the reign of Goryeo's King Gojong and served as a scholar of the Seungmunwon. He was the grandson of Yi Jon-bi (尊庇), who served as Pan-milchiksa-sa (判密直司事) and Grand Censor of Goryeo, Munhan Academician, and Grand Academician of the Jinhyeongwan (進賢館). He was the eldest son of Yi U (瑀), Lord Cheolwon (鐵原君), who served as magistrate of Gimhae in Gyeongsang Province and of Hoeyang in Gangwon Province. His younger brother was Yi Gyo (李嶠), known by the pen name Dochon (桃村). His paternal uncle was Gakjin National Preceptor (覺眞國師) Bok-gu (復丘, 1270–1355).¹² This family was a line of meritorious subjects and chief ministers over many generations, qualified to intermarry with the royal house, and it made many contributions to the founding of the Joseon dynasty. Later, beginning with Sejong's minister Yi Won (李原), who served as Left State Councillor, the family produced many civil and military officials from the early to middle Joseon period and became a prominent lineage of Joseon.

While studying under Baek I-jeong (白頤正, 1247–1323), Yi Am mastered the Songxue style of Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫), then regarded as the finest script of the day, and became a master calligrapher at the age of 13. Two years later, Wuzong (武宗) of Yuan, having heard of this, ordered Yi Am to copy the Buddhist Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華經) and present it to him. Yi Am copied ten volumes and sent them. Wuzong praised them as "the finest brush under heaven" (天下一筆) and returned one volume. Half of that Lotus Sutra has been passed down to his descendants. In recent years, in connection with social concern over the repatriation of cultural properties removed during the Japanese colonial period, research and evaluation of his calligraphy have become active. Yi Am excelled not only as a calligrapher but also in poetry and painting.