A Case Study of ‘Hangje’ in China from the Excavated Epitaph: Focusing on the Tang dynasty the Nak-An Sohn clan Family

Abstract

Using the epitaphs data of 37 Nak-An Sohn clan(樂安孫氏) excavated so far in China, this paper created four tables centered on the sons of Sohn Ka-ji(孫嘉之) and inferred seniority rangking in families(行第: Hangje) by examining the relationship of family members. Through this, the following three facts could be found. First, Hangje is a title that indicates the number of brothers, and it was confirmed from data from the Sohn family that when deciding the order, they were numbered in the order of birth, including cousins. Second, the fact that the Nak-An Sohn clan family has greatly increased in the lineage of his four sons since Sohn Ka-ji could be guessed through Hangje. Third, what can be seen from the graveyard data is that the names of the descendants of Sohn Ka-ji's four sons within their respective immediate family members seem to have used intimate names instead of Hangje. Based on the first step of such research on ‘Hangje’, it is believed that an understanding of the family structure of ancient Chinese society can be enhanced