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Old Korean Hand Atlases
- By The Map Collector
- Published 1 September 1978
- Maps
- Unrated
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.
