About this Item
Very good. Some wear on old fold lines. Partially attached to original binder. Image illustrates recto (front) and verso (back). Size 10.75 x 51.75 Inches. This is a striking large-format 1929 panoramic pictorial view of Mt. Kumgang, Korea, produced in the Japanese colonial period by the era's greatest view artist, Yoshida Hatsusabur? In addition to highlighting the area's stunning natural beauty, it also reflects its appropriation by Japan as a colonial tourist site. A Closer Look Mt. Kumgang (Kumgangsan, or Kongosan in Japanese), literally meaning 'Diamond Mountain,' is one of the most historically and culturally significant mountains on the Korean Peninsula. Sitting roughly half-way down the peninsula and close to Korea's shoreline facing the Sea of Japan (East Sea to Koreans), the mountain, or more properly mountains or massif, is now located in North Korea, not far from the Demilitarized Zone. This view is oriented roughly towards the southwest, though with a convex perspective that makes orientation somewhat difficult. At right is the seaside port city of Wonsan (??, or Gensan in Japanese), while at left are Seoul (??, known at this time by the Japanese name Keijo), Busan (??, Fusan in Japanese), and the Japanese Home Islands with Mt. Fuji in the background. Surrounding the mountain are hotels, roads, rail lines, and maritime routes, providing connections to Seoul and Wonsan. Dominating the view, however, are the peaks of Mt. Kumgang, which is generally divided into an inner (???) and outer (???) section (the southern part of the latter also known as 'New Kumgang' ???). Reminiscent of traditional East Asian landscape paintings, the view emphasizes the lovely peaks, waterfalls, vistas, and other natural features over evidence of human endeavors. Still, the massif is home to many Buddhist temples (?), hermitages (?), grottoes (?), and other sites, indicating its importance as a site of Buddhist pilgrimage and devotion. Perhaps most impressive among these is the large stone bodhisattva Manjushri (or Myogilsang ???), carved into the mountain's rock itself, located near center here. At several points, Buddhist texts are similarly carved into the mountainside. The temple complexes near the base of the mountain were historically known as the 'Four Great Temples of Mt. Kumgang,' being: Jangansa (???, here as Choanji, its Japanese name), Pyohunsa (???, Hyokunji), Singyesa (???, Shinkeiji) and Yujomsa (???, Yusenji). When this area was heavily bombed by U.S. planes during the Korean War, only Pyohunsa escaped destruction, though Singyesa was reconstructed in the early 21st century through a joint North Korean-South Korean project. To the right of the view, the inner side of the attached cover into which the view folds contains several photographs of the mountain and a brief description of a trip there by the Japanese novelist Kikuchi Y?h? (????; 1870 - 1947). The verso includes text describing the '12,000 Peaks' of Mt. Kumgang, some discussion of their historical and cultural significance (artfully eliding their specific importance to Korean culture), methods of transportation to the mountain, suggested itineraries, important reminders and travel tips, and descriptions of the major sites highlighted on the recto. Two panels in English summarize much of the information in Japanese, though their inclusion is a bit of a mystery; it is likely that the Railway Bureau of the colonial government, which commissioned the view, hoped that foreign tourists would be enticed to visit the mountain. A final panel written by Yoshida himself, titled 'A stroke to accompany the painting' (???????), praises the beauties of the mountain in florid language. Sketchbook Mailer Maps Sketchbook Mailers (????) were a style of bird's-eye view map that became very popular in Japan in the 1920s-1940s, often depicting cityscapes from across Japan's growing empire. Each view was designed to be folded and packaged for safe and easy mailing, and came with informat.
Seller Inventory # KongoSan-yoshida-1929
Contact seller
Report this item
