Han Yongun

Han Yongun 韓龍雲 (1879-1944) was a Korean monk, poet, and writer, who is well known for his anti-Japanese and Buddhist modernization work.

In 1896, his parents and brother were executed by the state for connections to the Tonghak (Eastern Learning) Rebellion, which would cause him to join the remaining forces to fight against the Chosǒn dynasty government until forced to flee to Oseam hermitage on Mt. Sǒrak.

He was ordained at Paektamsa monastery in 1905 and in 1908, he and 51 other monastics formed the Wǒn order and the foundation of its headquarters in Wǒnhǔngsa.

He went to Japan and saw Japanese Buddhist attempts at modernization even with Meiji-era Buddhist persectuions, influencing him to write a tract calling for radical change for Korean Buddhism in 1909. This was titled Chosǒn Pulgyo Yusin Non (Treatise on the Reformation of Korean Buddhism).

Korea was formally annex in 1910, which led Han to devote his life to its independence. He opposed Hoegwang Sasǒn’s (1862-1933) attempt to merge Wǒn with Sotoshu. He helped start the Imje order (Linji) to push against this, in Pusan (Busan?).

In 1919 he participated in the March first independence movement and signed the Korean Declaration of Independence as a Buddhist representative causing him to be put in Japanese prison for three years. During and after his time in prison he worked on his writing, Buddhist publications, and independence work. He died a year before he could see Korea’s freedom on August 15th 1945.

Found in the Princeton dictionary of Buddhism p 344-345.