This paper was written in order to elucidate the academic tendency and reality recognition of "Nongsan(農山)" Jang Seung-taek(張升澤, 1838~1916), one of the Confucian scholars of the Gyeongsang(慶尙) region during the last period of the Korean Empire in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Although Jang was a significant figure who led the region's Confucian academia as he was associated with several leading Confucian scholars, he was never in the spotlight. This paper aims to examine the life, study, and reality recognition that can be found through his writings. In the course of this examination, we will be able to understand the life sought by a typical Confucian scholar in the late 19th century as well as his response to reality.
Jang Seung-taek studied under "Samiheon(四未軒)" Jang Bok-chu(張福樞). Jang Bok-chu, a descendant of "Yeoheon(旅軒)" Jang Hyeon-kwang(張顯光), inherited the lineage of Toegye(退溪) scholarship, and he was the figure to develop a great school of thought in the Gyeongsang region. Jang Seung-taek, who was taught by this towering figure, became determined to resolve the chaotic situation of the nation, and his chosen path was to correct the Way of Confucianism. Firmly criticizing the Hanju(寒洲) school, which proposed a new theory, while adhering to the theory descended from Zhu Xi(朱熹) and Toegye to the end, he ceaselessly endeavored to practice scholarship. Additionally, he showed great interest in Nam-myeong(南冥) scholarship and had an attitude toward attempting to integrate the scholarship of the Gyeongsang region. The Indong(仁同) Jang clan, which protected the family scholarship tradition, produced many important figures, and Jang also trained his children by creating a family motto and devoted himself to family management to continue the family tradition as a member of the clan. He insisted on organizing a vigilante army that would protect the local community in order to prepare for uprisings, and he both criticized and proposed solutions to the Donghak(東學) peasant movement, which was his survival strategy as a Confucian scholar for protecting his family and village amidst the rapidly changing situation. Additionally, he criticized earth-shattering heretical theories and the disorder of the three areas of national finances and he drafted a treatise that proposed his personal opinion on these matters.
From these facts, we can understand the significance of the tradition of the Indong region scholarship, which was influenced by both Toegye and Nam-myeong scholarship. Moreover, through the writings of Jang Seung-taek, we can gather the characteristics of the Indong Jang clan's family scholarship tradition and family motto from the final period of the Korean Empire. We can also gain insights into a Confucian intellectual's perspective on state management theory and his response to a rapidly changing reality.