A fresh (digital) shot of this classic San-shin painting, from a small but relatively well-known temple (easily accessed from National Highway 5, the valley famous for restaurants and sight-seeing). It is unique for the white-robed figure of a senior woman in the background, presumed to be "the San-shin's Wife" -- this arrangement seems to give her inferior status; in the other paintings that include a husband-wife pair, the female is usually depicted equally (as in the ones seen at Kyeryong-san and the great one on pages 2-3 of my book). Here, at least her tiger is up-front and equal-sized... There is a slight resemblance to
a "San-shin-dosa" figure. An alternative interpretation might be that she is a Manshin [Shamaness] coming to visit San-shin -- but the two tigers here implys that there are two San-shins, or at least a husband-wife pair representing yin-yang complimentary aspects of the Spirit of this mountain ("outer" and "inner", etc)...
The main San-shin is painted in a most excellent style. The "Peaches of Immortality"
(see pages 84-85) hanging beneath the pine tree are a rare touch, borrowed from "Ship-jang-saeng" paintings. Three sacred peaks in the background echo royal palace paintings. The distinct waterfall actually looks similar to the well-known Huibang-pokpo Waterfall in that valley. All together, one of the best modern San-shin icons in Korea.
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