| Daeryong-san the "Great Dragon Mountain" 899.4m, highest peak of Chuncheon City, Gangwon-do |
| The magnificent modern San-shin painting of Daeryong-san Cheongryong-sa [Great-Dragon Mountain Blue-Dragon Temple] that i chose for the cover of my 1999 book on Sanshin. Chuncheon City (capital of Gangwon Province) was my hometown when i researched and wrote that tome, and from 1988 thru 1997 Cheongryong-sa was the closest temple to my home -- to the south of the city and Kangwon National University campus, in the lower foothills of Daeryong-san's broad western slopes; small & obscure. |
I thought that this painting, 3 meters wide, contained a notably-wide variety of Shamanic, Folk-Daoist, Buddhist and
Neo-Confucian symbolic elements, in perfect balance and in a pleasing blend of colors, displaying many of
the Ship-jangsaeng motifs, with one near-unique feature (the dongja-angel-boy sitting on the tiger, with curling
feather-banner) and was therefore an excellent example of a modern Sanshin artwork (which are often
more-elaborate than the antiques, which shows its ongoing strength, relevance and evolution). It is also an
example of my longtime guideline: often, the best Sanshin artworks are found at the smaller, more-remote temples,
not at the huge important monasteries as one might expect... For all these reasons, i chose this one for my cover!
Neo-Confucian symbolic elements, in perfect balance and in a pleasing blend of colors, displaying many of
the Ship-jangsaeng motifs, with one near-unique feature (the dongja-angel-boy sitting on the tiger, with curling
feather-banner) and was therefore an excellent example of a modern Sanshin artwork (which are often
more-elaborate than the antiques, which shows its ongoing strength, relevance and evolution). It is also an
example of my longtime guideline: often, the best Sanshin artworks are found at the smaller, more-remote temples,
not at the huge important monasteries as one might expect... For all these reasons, i chose this one for my cover!
