A Intellectual Hermit(山林)’s Young Life in the 17th Century

This paper examines the everyday life of Song Jun-gil during his youth, focusing on his personal journal Songdongchun Supil Ilrok(宋同春手筆日錄), a daily record written by Song Jungil. Despite covering a relatively short span— from the 12th year of King Injo’s reign (1634) to February of the 14th year (1636)—the journal offers a vivid and detailed portrayal of his life, making it a valuable source for understanding the candid daily experiences of a 17th-century intellectual hermit(山林). The Song family, to which Song Jungil belonged, was a prominent families of the scholar-officials(士族) based in Hoedeok(懷德) Songchon(宋村). They maintained steady ties with the central government through official appointments and intermarriage. Although Song Jungil displayed early promise—passing the licentiate examination(小科) and showing his potential ability as a bureaucrat— he chose to abandon the civil service examinations and return to his hometown around the age of 24 to 25(Injo 7-8, 1629-1630). Remarkably, this decision came at a relatively young age, indicating his deliberate pursuit of a reclusive scholarly life in the countryside. The 『Ilrok』 begins when Song was 29 years old and captures the early phase of his rural life. Despite its brevity, the journal illustrates his diverse activities across different locales, including Hoedeok, Sangju(尙州), and Hanyang(漢陽). His youth was marked by active engagement across both the Giho(畿湖) and Yeongnam(嶺南) regions, where he formed broad interpersonal networks regardless of political factionalism. He not only built connections with diverse individuals but also played a central role within various scholarly circles, establishing his intellectual authority. During this period, he visited to Hanyang to strengthen old ties and expand new networks, which would later prove instrumental in his eventual entry into central government service.