Heo Ja

Heo Ja (許磁; 13th day of the intercalary third lunar month of 1496 – 14 March 1551) was a scholar-official, writer, and politician of the mid-Joseon period. He studied under Kim An-guk, a disciple of Kim Jong-jik, but later joined the Lesser Yun faction of Yun Won-hyeong and became his close associate. He took part in eliminating Yun Im and the Great Yun faction (大尹), along with Yu Gwan and Yu In-suk and their followers. For this service he was commended as a First-class Merit Subject of Chuseong Wisa (推誠衛社功臣), enfeoffed as Lord of Yangcheon (陽川君), and rose to the rank of Jwachanseong in the Uijeongbu.

Heo Ja advocated the vindication (伸寃) of the followers of Yun Im. When Min Je-in was exiled for this cause, Heo agreed to appoint Min's younger brother, Min Je-yeong, as magistrate of Dangjin. For this he was impeached by Yi Gi's associates Jin Bok-chang and Yi Mu-gang, among others, and was exiled to Hongwon, where he died during his exile.

His family seat was Yangcheon (陽川), his courtesy name was Namjung (南仲), and his art name was Donge (東崖). He was the father of the scholar Heo Hu and the great-grandfather of Heo Mok, the leader of the Namin faction and a Neo-Confucian scholar. He was a cousin-in-law of the royal physician Heo Jun of the reign of Seonjo, and a maternal grandson of Kim Su-on, a merit subject of Sejo. He was a grandson-disciple of Kim Jong-jik and a disciple of Kim An-guk. He was from Gyeonggi Province.

Life

Early life

His courtesy name was Namjung (南仲) and his art name was Donge (東崖). He was a relative of ; he was the great-grandson of Heo Bi (許扉), his grandfather was Heo Hun (許薰), magistrate of , and his father was Heo Won (許瑗), Vice Director of the Uiyeonggo (義盈庫令) and posthumously Jwachanseong. His mother, of the Kim clan, was the daughter of (金粹溫). Heo Hun's younger brother (許芝) was the great-grandfather of the royal physician .