Old Korean Hand Atlases
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The Map Collector
The Map Collector, initiated by Peter Scott and Valerie G. Newby, was a journal on historical cartography published every quarter. The first issue appeared in 1997 and continued for nearly 20 years. After 74 issues the last copy appeared in Spring 1996. Mrs. Valerie G. Newby, is presently editor of the IMCoS Journal.www.imcos.org
By The Map Collector
Published on 1 September 1978
by Shannon McCune
Shannon McCune, who is Professor of Geography and Director of Asian Studies at the University of Florida, first discovered Korean hand atlases in 1938 while on a geographic field trip to Korea. He studied them again nearly 40 years later when he returned to Korea as a visiting Fulbright Professor. Here, he traces their fascinating history and their relevance to map collectors today and expresses his fears that rising prices might encourage forgeries.
Shannon McCune, who is Professor of Geography and Director of Asian Studies at the University of Florida, first discovered Korean hand atlases in 1938 while on a geographic field trip to Korea. He studied them again nearly 40 years later when he returned to Korea as a visiting Fulbright Professor. Here, he traces their fascinating history and their relevance to map collectors today and expresses his fears that rising prices might encourage forgeries.
By Shannon McCune
Shannon McCune, who is Professor of Geography and Director of Asian Studies at the University of Florida, first discovered Korean hand atlases in 1938 while on a geographic field trip to Korea. He studied them again nearly 40 years later when he returned to Korea as a visiting Fulbright Professor. Here, he traces their fascinating history and their relevance to map collectors today and expresses his fears that rising prices might encourage forgeries.
KOREAN STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS during the Yi Dynasty (1392-1910) copied or had printed by wood block, small hand atlases which now fetch about 50,000 Hwan ($100) in Korea when, as occasionally happens, they come on to the market for today's map collectors.
These unique and colourful atlases are so attractive that they often appear more valuable than they really are and they can be found in many major map collections in the United States and Europe [1] also in private collections in Korea and Japan.
This manuscript Ch'onhado, or world map, is a very common feature of Korean hand atlases. It opens out from six folds and was perhaps copied from a Chinese source. The place names are derived from mythical places noted in Chinese classics and from known lands around China, which occupies the centre 'of the map. The date of the map is unknown.
They are usually titled by three characters, pronounced in Korean Yojido, meaning geographical maps, and were used as reference materials for the reading of Chinese classics, for elementary geographical knowledge of the neighbouring lands of China, Japan and the Liu Chiu Kingdom and for more detailed knowledge of the eight Korean provinces and the counties or magistracies into which the provinces were divided. The prototypes of the maps came from historical materials prepared in the latter half of the 15th century. It is presumed that the earliest atlases were made soon after.
The size of the maps was regulated by the size of the paper sheets available rather than by any considerations of scale. Colour was often added by hand and references to populations, provinces, magistracies and distances were added to the margins or to the backing sheets. The maps were usually folded making them both convenient to use and carry.
Korean hand atlases came in various formats [2] and copies can be found in many libraries and private collections in Korea and Japan. [3] Whilst there are a number in large collections amongst affluent Koreans they are rarely offered to collectors in Western countries. But when they are they may be grossly over-priced because of lack of understanding of their value and character.
Also, the Republic of Korea has placed restrictions on the export of antiquarian material.
From the time of the visits of the famous cartophile, Leo Bagrow, [4] in 1912 and 1919 up to the present day they have been a staple commodity for sale in antique shops and old book stores in Seoul. In the days of Japanese control of Korea (1910-1945) the atlases sold for 500 to 1000 Yen (US $3). [5]
Recently the first asking price has been up to 50,000 Hwan (US $100) though the buying price could have been one-third or one-quarter of that amount or even less for an atlas that was missing one or more of the standard maps. [6]
These high prices which have continued to inflate since 1976 may well result in the manufacture of such atlases; after all, most of the old atlases are copies of copies. There would be no difficulty in making fresh copies on stocks of old paper or on paper hand-made in the old style. It would be difficult to detect any difference between an atlas made in 1878 and one made in 1978.
Shannon McCune, who is Professor of Geography and Director of Asian Studies at the University of Florida, first discovered Korean hand atlases in 1938 while on a geographic field trip to Korea. He studied them again nearly 40 years later when he returned to Korea as a visiting Fulbright Professor. Here, he traces their fascinating history and their relevance to map collectors today and expresses his fears that rising prices might encourage forgeries.
KOREAN STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS during the Yi Dynasty (1392-1910) copied or had printed by wood block, small hand atlases which now fetch about 50,000 Hwan ($100) in Korea when, as occasionally happens, they come on to the market for today's map collectors.
These unique and colourful atlases are so attractive that they often appear more valuable than they really are and they can be found in many major map collections in the United States and Europe [1] also in private collections in Korea and Japan.
This manuscript Ch'onhado, or world map, is a very common feature of Korean hand atlases. It opens out from six folds and was perhaps copied from a Chinese source. The place names are derived from mythical places noted in Chinese classics and from known lands around China, which occupies the centre 'of the map. The date of the map is unknown.
They are usually titled by three characters, pronounced in Korean Yojido, meaning geographical maps, and were used as reference materials for the reading of Chinese classics, for elementary geographical knowledge of the neighbouring lands of China, Japan and the Liu Chiu Kingdom and for more detailed knowledge of the eight Korean provinces and the counties or magistracies into which the provinces were divided. The prototypes of the maps came from historical materials prepared in the latter half of the 15th century. It is presumed that the earliest atlases were made soon after.
The size of the maps was regulated by the size of the paper sheets available rather than by any considerations of scale. Colour was often added by hand and references to populations, provinces, magistracies and distances were added to the margins or to the backing sheets. The maps were usually folded making them both convenient to use and carry.
This Ch’ onhado was printed by woodblock sometime after 1800. The lines supposedly indicate latitude and longitude.
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress>>]
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress>>]
Korean hand atlases came in various formats [2] and copies can be found in many libraries and private collections in Korea and Japan. [3] Whilst there are a number in large collections amongst affluent Koreans they are rarely offered to collectors in Western countries. But when they are they may be grossly over-priced because of lack of understanding of their value and character.
Also, the Republic of Korea has placed restrictions on the export of antiquarian material.
From the time of the visits of the famous cartophile, Leo Bagrow, [4] in 1912 and 1919 up to the present day they have been a staple commodity for sale in antique shops and old book stores in Seoul. In the days of Japanese control of Korea (1910-1945) the atlases sold for 500 to 1000 Yen (US $3). [5]
Recently the first asking price has been up to 50,000 Hwan (US $100) though the buying price could have been one-third or one-quarter of that amount or even less for an atlas that was missing one or more of the standard maps. [6]
These high prices which have continued to inflate since 1976 may well result in the manufacture of such atlases; after all, most of the old atlases are copies of copies. There would be no difficulty in making fresh copies on stocks of old paper or on paper hand-made in the old style. It would be difficult to detect any difference between an atlas made in 1878 and one made in 1978.
As the late Japanese cartophile, Hiroshi Nakamura, pointed out in an article written in 1934 and published in Imago Mundi in 1948 [7] the wood-block versions of the hand atlases are more valuable than the manuscript versions partly because the wood-block atlases may be classified. He made a classification of thirteen varieties depending on the size of the atlas, the maps within it and the technique used in printing them. Because the wood-block atlases are usually not so colourful the prices for them are apt to be lower than for the hand-copied versions, particularly the prices paid by less sophisticated buyers.
This undated map of Korea was copied from a Korean geographical encyclopaedia map of 1481, or a later edition of 1530.
It shows the eight provinces into which Korea was divided early in the Yi dynasty.
Because of their anonymous production over the centuries the Korean atlases are very difficult to date, though an individual atlas may be dated by marginal notes or by introductory statements made by copyists or owners. The seals of previous owners stamped on the atlas may also be used to date and give provenance to an individual atlas. Perhaps the simplest dating procedure is to judge the age of the paper on which the maps are printed or drawn, but this is not too precise. Through detailed study of individual maps of provinces some approximate dating is possible by the noting of royal grave sites or of certain county seats, but this can only provide a date after which an atlas was drawn, rather than a precise date of its preparation.
Because of their interest old Korean hand atlases have been reproduced in whole or in part for scholars and collectors outside Korea. One of the most elaborate reproductions was made in 1896 in Paris with a description by Henri Cordier. [8] This was based on a manuscript atlas held by the British Museum. This seems to have been a costly enterprise for the reproduction of an undistinguished copy of an atlas similar to those easily obtainable in Korea at the time. As is apt to happen, copies of this French reproduction are now very scarce and expensive.
The world map, the Ch 'onhado, which is a feature of the Korean hand atlases, has been reproduced many times in articles and books on Korean cartography. It has even been used as a Christmas greeting card.[9] A number of Ch 'onhado, or world maps, of different styles as well as other maps from the Korean hand atlases are reproduced in an excellent book by Chan Lee on Old Maps of Korea, Seoul, 1977. [10]
The origin of Korean hand atlases is difficult to ascertain, though it is likely that they first came in to use in the early part of the Yi Dynasty. There are varying opinions on the origin of the Ch 'onhado but it seems to have been developed between 1100 and 1400. Hiroshi Nakamura considered it of Chinese origin, though it was not perpetuated in China. [11] Chan Lee, Professor of Geography at Seoul National University, considers the Ch 'onhado to be Korean in origin, [12] yet it is full of names of mythical places derived from Chinese classics. The map of Korea and of the provinces of Korea which make up most of the contents of the hand atlases are usually identical with those in the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam (Geographical Encyclopedia of Korea) which was first compiled in 1481 and revised again in 1486, 1499 and 1530. [13] The maps of Japan and of the Liu Chiu Kingdom are distorted and are derived from maps in the Haedong Chegukki, a book describing the geography of Japan and other areas in East Asia written by a Korean scholar, Sin Suk-chu, in 1471. 14 It would appear, therefore, that the prototypes of the Korean hand atlases were made in the late 1400's.
A segment of P'yongan Province copper engraved map from the Tae hosing Chosonguk Chondo of 1896. It represents the north western part of Korea and shows the guard posts along the Yalu River, the coast and in certain strategic interior locations. The inclusion of this type of military information on a provincial map was only done in the last part of the Yi dynasty.
The atlases preserved their early form throughout the Yi Dynasty, long after more accurate maps of the world, the Far East and Korea, were available. In some of the atlases made in the latter half of the period the CIl 'onhado, the world map, has lines purporting to show parallels and meridians superimposed on the map. [15] The famous Korean cartographer, Chong Sang-gi (1678-1752), broke away from the restrictions of the size of the paper sheets and started using scales on his provincial maps, the Tongguk Chido of circa 1730. [16] However, the tradition of the provincial maps of Korea derived from the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam was so strong that the provincial maps continued to be used in the hand atlases even to the time of a well-known atlas, the Tae Chosonguk Chondo, printed from copper plates in 1896. [17]
This undated map of Korea was copied from a Korean geographical encyclopaedia map of 1481, or a later edition of 1530.
It shows the eight provinces into which Korea was divided early in the Yi dynasty.
Because of their anonymous production over the centuries the Korean atlases are very difficult to date, though an individual atlas may be dated by marginal notes or by introductory statements made by copyists or owners. The seals of previous owners stamped on the atlas may also be used to date and give provenance to an individual atlas. Perhaps the simplest dating procedure is to judge the age of the paper on which the maps are printed or drawn, but this is not too precise. Through detailed study of individual maps of provinces some approximate dating is possible by the noting of royal grave sites or of certain county seats, but this can only provide a date after which an atlas was drawn, rather than a precise date of its preparation.
Because of their interest old Korean hand atlases have been reproduced in whole or in part for scholars and collectors outside Korea. One of the most elaborate reproductions was made in 1896 in Paris with a description by Henri Cordier. [8] This was based on a manuscript atlas held by the British Museum. This seems to have been a costly enterprise for the reproduction of an undistinguished copy of an atlas similar to those easily obtainable in Korea at the time. As is apt to happen, copies of this French reproduction are now very scarce and expensive.
The world map, the Ch 'onhado, which is a feature of the Korean hand atlases, has been reproduced many times in articles and books on Korean cartography. It has even been used as a Christmas greeting card.[9] A number of Ch 'onhado, or world maps, of different styles as well as other maps from the Korean hand atlases are reproduced in an excellent book by Chan Lee on Old Maps of Korea, Seoul, 1977. [10]
The origin of Korean hand atlases is difficult to ascertain, though it is likely that they first came in to use in the early part of the Yi Dynasty. There are varying opinions on the origin of the Ch 'onhado but it seems to have been developed between 1100 and 1400. Hiroshi Nakamura considered it of Chinese origin, though it was not perpetuated in China. [11] Chan Lee, Professor of Geography at Seoul National University, considers the Ch 'onhado to be Korean in origin, [12] yet it is full of names of mythical places derived from Chinese classics. The map of Korea and of the provinces of Korea which make up most of the contents of the hand atlases are usually identical with those in the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam (Geographical Encyclopedia of Korea) which was first compiled in 1481 and revised again in 1486, 1499 and 1530. [13] The maps of Japan and of the Liu Chiu Kingdom are distorted and are derived from maps in the Haedong Chegukki, a book describing the geography of Japan and other areas in East Asia written by a Korean scholar, Sin Suk-chu, in 1471. 14 It would appear, therefore, that the prototypes of the Korean hand atlases were made in the late 1400's.
A segment of P'yongan Province copper engraved map from the Tae hosing Chosonguk Chondo of 1896. It represents the north western part of Korea and shows the guard posts along the Yalu River, the coast and in certain strategic interior locations. The inclusion of this type of military information on a provincial map was only done in the last part of the Yi dynasty.
The atlases preserved their early form throughout the Yi Dynasty, long after more accurate maps of the world, the Far East and Korea, were available. In some of the atlases made in the latter half of the period the CIl 'onhado, the world map, has lines purporting to show parallels and meridians superimposed on the map. [15] The famous Korean cartographer, Chong Sang-gi (1678-1752), broke away from the restrictions of the size of the paper sheets and started using scales on his provincial maps, the Tongguk Chido of circa 1730. [16] However, the tradition of the provincial maps of Korea derived from the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam was so strong that the provincial maps continued to be used in the hand atlases even to the time of a well-known atlas, the Tae Chosonguk Chondo, printed from copper plates in 1896. [17]
Chinese characters were used in the Korean hand atlases since classical Chinese was the language of the Korean scholar, a factor which has led sometimes to the mistaken conclusion that the atlases were Chinese. They are uniquely Korean: though it is difficult to understand exactly why this atlas form was so prevalent in Korea. Some atlases were mounted in scroll form, but atlases made of folded sheets were much more common. This form may have been good for storage or for use when a scholar travelled to the capital or to a distant magistracy to which he had been posted. They were a handy size for ready reference.
The paper on which the maps were printed or drawn was made by hand from mulberry bark, a distinctive Korean product. This paper accepts ink well and is tough and long lasting. It is quite soft and does not become brittle. Some of the old paper has an almost silk-like quality and is a pleasure to touch and feel. The covers were often made of yellowed oiled paper with a stiff backing made by pasting old sheets of paper together. On the cover the title, Yojido, is written: occasionally a poetic name for Korea: Tongguk or Eastern Nation, is put before Yojido.
The wood block printed atlases were rarely coloured but the manuscript atlases were usually coloured by hand, sometimes quite elaborately. Borders, place names, rivers and mountains were drawn by brush pen in black ink. The calligraphy varied a great deal depending on the skill of the copyist. Circles or rectangles were drawn around major places such as provincial or county seats. Blue was the colour used for rivers and surrounding seas, red or yellow to accentuate place names, green for forested mountains. The use of colour, however, was not completely standardized. In some manuscript atlases blue was used to shade both rivers and mountains. Sometimes the colours were added rather crudely, as though done by some student rather than by a mature scholar or copyist.
The maps in the atlases normally followed a set pattern. The Ch 'onhado, the world or 'under heaven' map, comes first, the sequence starting from what Westerners would think of as the back of the book. This is followed by a map of China and then a simplified map of Korea. The map of China is in relatively accurate shape and has the Great Wall drawn as a distinctive feature, with the Yellow River (sometimes coloured yellow) cutting through it. In most atlases these maps are followed by maps of Japan and of the Liu Chiu Kingdom; in some cases these two maps are placed at the end of the series of maps. The map of Japan is a rather weird shape and accentuates the location of the capital at Kyoto near Lake Biwa. The map of the Liu Chiu Kingdom accentuates the large island of Okinawa, though drawn in a poor shape. The map of Korea, copied slavishly from the map in the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam, was adapted to the paper size, widening the southern part of the peninsula too much and drastically compressing the northern part of the peninsula. [18] The eight maps of the provinces which usually are at the end of the atlas were all adjusted to the size of the paper and give the counties or magistracies as they were organized early in the Yi Dynasty. In some atlases a map of southern Manchuria, showing the route taken from Seoul to Peking was included, but this was not common. Occasionally an atlas would include a map of Seoul, the capital of Korea.
Korean hand atlases are unique and colourful and would make interesting additions to atlas collections but should a large foreign market develop for them there is a real danger that copies could be newly made to meet the demand.
COPYRIGHT September 1978 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
The paper on which the maps were printed or drawn was made by hand from mulberry bark, a distinctive Korean product. This paper accepts ink well and is tough and long lasting. It is quite soft and does not become brittle. Some of the old paper has an almost silk-like quality and is a pleasure to touch and feel. The covers were often made of yellowed oiled paper with a stiff backing made by pasting old sheets of paper together. On the cover the title, Yojido, is written: occasionally a poetic name for Korea: Tongguk or Eastern Nation, is put before Yojido.
Old Korean hand atlases were usually bound, as in this case, in stiff covers made of yellow waterproof paper.
The title, Yojido, is written in three chinese characters in a box in the upper left and again, in larger form, in the centre.
The scribble on the cover is likely to be the writing of a student.
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress >>]
The title, Yojido, is written in three chinese characters in a box in the upper left and again, in larger form, in the centre.
The scribble on the cover is likely to be the writing of a student.
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress >>]
The wood block printed atlases were rarely coloured but the manuscript atlases were usually coloured by hand, sometimes quite elaborately. Borders, place names, rivers and mountains were drawn by brush pen in black ink. The calligraphy varied a great deal depending on the skill of the copyist. Circles or rectangles were drawn around major places such as provincial or county seats. Blue was the colour used for rivers and surrounding seas, red or yellow to accentuate place names, green for forested mountains. The use of colour, however, was not completely standardized. In some manuscript atlases blue was used to shade both rivers and mountains. Sometimes the colours were added rather crudely, as though done by some student rather than by a mature scholar or copyist.
This undated map of Japan, common in old Korean atlases, is derived from an original drawn by a Korean scholar in 1471. North is at the base of the map. This particular manuscript copy is crudely drawn and coloured and is likely to be the work of a student rather than that of a skilled copyist.
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress >>]
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress >>]
The maps in the atlases normally followed a set pattern. The Ch 'onhado, the world or 'under heaven' map, comes first, the sequence starting from what Westerners would think of as the back of the book. This is followed by a map of China and then a simplified map of Korea. The map of China is in relatively accurate shape and has the Great Wall drawn as a distinctive feature, with the Yellow River (sometimes coloured yellow) cutting through it. In most atlases these maps are followed by maps of Japan and of the Liu Chiu Kingdom; in some cases these two maps are placed at the end of the series of maps. The map of Japan is a rather weird shape and accentuates the location of the capital at Kyoto near Lake Biwa. The map of the Liu Chiu Kingdom accentuates the large island of Okinawa, though drawn in a poor shape. The map of Korea, copied slavishly from the map in the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam, was adapted to the paper size, widening the southern part of the peninsula too much and drastically compressing the northern part of the peninsula. [18] The eight maps of the provinces which usually are at the end of the atlas were all adjusted to the size of the paper and give the counties or magistracies as they were organized early in the Yi Dynasty. In some atlases a map of southern Manchuria, showing the route taken from Seoul to Peking was included, but this was not common. Occasionally an atlas would include a map of Seoul, the capital of Korea.
This map is of the Liu Chiu kingdom which was a tributary state to China during much of the Yi dynasty so that it was included in old Korean atlases. The map was derived from one drawn by a Korean scholar in 1471. The three kingdoms of Okynawa were unified by 1407 but, as shown on the map, there was still recognition of the regional differences and strongholds even after that date. The symbol which looks like a palm frond represents a line of fortification connecting two strongholds.
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress >>]
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress >>]
Korean hand atlases are unique and colourful and would make interesting additions to atlas collections but should a large foreign market develop for them there is a real danger that copies could be newly made to meet the demand.
COPYRIGHT September 1978 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
References:
- A brief description and reproduction of two of the maps of a Korean atlas held at the Tall Tree Library was in Imago Mundi, Vol. XIII, 1956, pp. 163-164. The map collections at the American Geographical Scoiety in New York and the Library of Congress in Washington have a number of copies of the old Korean hand atlases.
- Though there are many publications on Korean cartography, there is little literature devoted solely to the Korean atlases. For English-language references to Korean cartography see my article on 'Some Korean Maps', Transactions, Korea Branch Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. L, 1975, Seoul, pp. 70-102.
- As noted in Reference 10, Dr. Chan Lee has listed the important holdings in nine of the leading collections in Korea. There are many other Korean libraries and museums that have copies of the hand atlases. I have seen some excellent examples of Korean atlases in Japanese collections, such as those at Tokyo University, Toyo Bunka Library and Tenri University. Other atlases which have come from private collections of Japanese who were in Korea in the pre-World War H period are often offered for sale in antiquarian stores in Tokyo.
- Leo Bagrow collected a number of Korean atlases when he was in Korea in 1912. He comments briefly on the bookstores he found in the foreword of his History of Cartography. (Edited by R.A. Skelton, Harvard University Press, 1964.) According to Hiroshi Nakamura, 'His (Bagrow) collection itself of the Korean cartographical materials he had with him was lost in Russia in the confusion of the revolution that broke out during his stay there, but the photographs (photostats) of these Korean maps and his notebook were barely rescued'. ('Old Chinese World Maps Preserved by the Koreans,' Chosen Gakuho, Journal of the Academic Association of Koreanology in Japan, No. 39/40, April 1966, pp. 458-530, quotation from Avant-propos, p.52l).
- When I was doing geographic field work in Korea iil 1938-1939, I bought a number of atlases. Some of these I presented to libraries such as that of the American Geographical Society in New York.
- I spent many interesting hours looking at old atlases and maps in Korean libraries, collections and bookstores in 1975 and 1976 while I was a visiting Fulbright professor at Soong Jun University in Seoul.
- Dr. Nakamura's article was originally written in French in 1934.
It was written at the request of Leo Bagrow, the editor of Imago Mundi, forwarded to him by Professor Waiter Fuchs, S.J., who at that time was in Mukden. The article was translated into German but because of publication problems in Germany was delayed in publication. According to Dr. Nakamura, the manuscript of the article 'together with the library and map collection of Prof. Bagrow were robbed by the Soviet troops in Berlin'. Fortunately a proof of the article was discovered in London and was translated and published in Imago Mundi, Vol. 4, Stockholm, March 1948, pp. 3-22. Some years later in 1966, as noted in Reference 2, Dr. Nakamura published the original French version together with comments in Japanese and English on the difficulties involved in its publication and with many more illustrations and footnotes. - Henri Cordier. 'Description d'un Atlas sino-coreen manuscrit du British Museum', Recueil de voyages et de Documents pour servir a l'histoire de la geographique, depuis de XIJJe siecle jusqu 'a la fin de XVIe•Section Cartographie, Paris, 1896, pp. 6-12,13 maps.
- The Christmas greeting card was prepared by the American Geographical Society of New York in 1970. There is a rather extensive literature on the Ch 'onhado, or world map. Some of the common references may be found in my articles: 'Old Korean World Maps', Korean Review, Vol. H, No. I, Seattle, Washington, September, 1949, pp. 14-17 and 'World Maps by Korean Cartographers', Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, No. 45, SeOUl, Jan. 1977, pp. 1-8.
- Dr. Chan Lee, Professor of Geography at Seoul National University, has written a number of articles and monographs on aspects of early Korean cartography. Recen tly published was his lavishly-illustrated, quarto-size volume: Old Maps of Korea. The Korean Library Science Research Institute, Seoul, Korea, 1977, 249 pages. The coloured and black-and-wh ite reproductions in this book are excellent. Three English language essays are included. Of special interest to collectors are 'the catalogues of nine major map collections in Korea. These are particularly useful, for some libraries are reticent about even listing their holdings.
- See References 4 and 7. Dr. Nakamura concluded: ' ... cette mappemonde est purement chinoise et on n:y trouve aucune trace specialement coreene ... '
- Chan Lee, see Reference 10, has noted in his monograph on Korean Old World Maps - Ch 'onhado and Hanilgangni• Yokdae• Kukdo•Chido, Graduate School of Education, Seoul ational University, April, 1971, 40 pages, 'the Chonhado may well be originated by Koreans during or before the Yi Dynasty was founded in 1392'.
- There are many references to this map of Korea and of the Korean provinces which are in the Tongguk Yogi Sungnam. In some cases it may be tha t persons have taken the maps ou t of the various wood-block editions of the Tongguk Yoji Sungnam and have bound them in atlas form.
- Jeon, Sangwoon, Science and Technology in Korea: Traditional Instruments and Techniques, The MIT Press; Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1974, xxii, 383 pages, discusses the Haedong Ch egukki, pages 286-288; he also discusses other Korean maps such as the Ch 'onhado but sometimes adds more confusion than enlightenment.
- As Hiroshi Nakamura (References 4 and 7) notes in discussing this type of map (his #Xl), the super position of supposed longitude and latitude over a map portraying mythical places created 'un anachronisme inimaginable'.
- For a brief account of Chong Sang-gi and for references regarding his achievements see my article on 'Some Korean Maps', Reference 2. His atlas was reproduced in an article by Norman J.W. Thrower and Young-!! Kim, 'Dong-Kook-Yu-Ji-Do: a Recently Discovered Manuscript Map of Korea', Imago Mundi, Vol. XXI, 1967, pp. 30-49. Numerous manuscript copies are to be found in various collections and in antique stores in Seoul.
- The printing of this atlas the Tae Chosonguk Chondo, coincided with the printing by wood blocks of some world geography books; these helped Korean scholars and students to become informed of the outside world.
- The correction of the shape of Korea on European maps was the result of the efforts of Jesuit missionary, cartographers notably Father Jean-Baptiste Regis. For more information on this aspect of Korean cartography see my article, 'Geographical Observations in Korea: Those of Father Regis published in 1735'. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Seoul, No. 44, December, 1976, pp. 1-9.