Home > Korea's Baekdudaegan > Recognition and Recording about the Baekdudaegan


 The most well known geography books are Kyungsangdo-cheeleeji (1425, 7th year of Sae-jong), Shinchanpaldo-cheeleeji (1432, 14th year of Sae-jong, not available), Saejongshilok (1545, 2nd year of Tan-jong), Cheeleeji of Donggukyajiseungram (1481, 12th year of Sung-jong), Shinjeungdonggukyajiseungram (1530, 25th year of Jung-jong), Yajidoseo (1757-1765, during the reign of Young-jo), Yajikoh of Dongukmoonhunbiko (1770, 46th year of Young-jo), Yajikoh of Jeunboomoonhunbiko (1908, 2nd year of Soon-jong).

 In Cheeleeji of Saejongshilok, Mt. Tae, the west boundary of Kiljoomok in Hamkyung province, is called "the incoming mountain ridge", Naemaek, of the Mt. baekdu. Also, similar terminologies like Sanmaek, Jungmaek, Taemaek, and others are found in Chosunwangchosilok.

 Chungchoshilok records the remarks made by the king on his way back from paying his visit to a shrine: " Chuksukryung is the central place of Mt. baekdu and the gateway to Seoul."

 It is thought to be during the Korean realism period during the reign of Young-jo (1694-1776)when people made the first attempt to understand the mountain ridges in conjunction with the land division.

 Yacheedohseo made by Hongmoonkwan upon the request of Hong Yanghan in 1757, consists of the original55 volumes of colored maps and topography. The participants of the projects were from the local divisions all over the nation (295 Kunhyun, 17 Young, and 1 Jin). This book explains in detail which mountain connects to which mountain. The terms used in the book are Naemaek, Taemaek, Joomaek, Nakmaek, Hoomaek, Sanmaek, Taekanmaek, and others.

 Shansookoh and Yacheekoh by Shin Kyungjoon (1712-1781) organize the mountains and the rivers in a systematic way. Yacheekoh arranges the representative mountains and rivers into 12 Chongsan and 12 Chongkang as show in table 2. Shinkyungjoon called Mt. Samgak and the Han river the main mountain and river. He established the view point that Mt. baekdu was our nation's starting point and that Hansung where the king resided, was thefocal point of the nation.

 Shankyungpyo organizes baekdudaegan by putting the Sanchunchongseol 1 into the form of a diagram. In Shankyungpyo, Mt. Samgak in Hansung is a significant part of the main mountain ridges.

(table 2) 12 Chongsan and 12 Chongkang

 The traditional geographical view of understanding the mountain ridges as the nation's spiritual pillar, Maek, continues during the Korean civilization era. The claim that the spirit ofMt. baekdu to Mt Cheeleeexists is found in *Taehanjiji by Hyun Chae (1899), *ChoichinkodeungTaehanjiji by Jung Yeonho (1906), *Taehanshinjiji by Chang Jeeyeon (1908), Yacheekoh (1908), Chodeungtaehanjiji by Ahn Jonghwa and Yoo Keun (1908), Chosunjiji by Namkung Joon (1913), and Shankyngpyo (1913). However, some books (those marked with a * in front) were banned from being used as textbooks by the Japanese government. Finally, with the introduction of the western view point of geography adapted during the Japanese colonization, the traditional geographical disappeared.

<Table 2> 12Chongsan and 12Chongkang
12Chongsan 12Chongkang
  1. Mt. Samgak   7. Mt. Kumgang   1. Han river(1)   7. Nakdong river
  2. Mt. baekdu   8. Mt. Odae   2. Yesong river   8. Daedong river
  3. Mt. Won   9. Mt. Taebaek   3. Daejin river(2)   9. Cheong-cheon
  river
  4. Mt. Nangrim   10. Mt. Sokri   4. Kum river   10. Yong-heung
  river(3)
  5. Mt. Duryu   11. Mt. Jangan   5. Saho river
  (Youngsan river)		   11. Aprok river
  6. Water-shed   12. Mt. Jiri   6. Seom river
  (Seomjin river)		   12. Duman river
Note
1) Im-Jin river is described in the chapter in Han river. It is called fore-river where these two rivers join and flow together to the Yellow Sea.
2) The section where Jin-wi river (An-seong river as a tributary), Mu-han river (Sap-gyo river as a tributary), Gok-gyo river join and flow together through A-san bay to the Yellow Sea
3) Originated in Cheol-ong mountain, Yeong-heung, the province of Ham-gyeong-nam-do and flow to the East Sea (the Sea of Japan), Bi-ryu river is a tributary. Among several short rivers, Yong-heung river was exclusively added into the list of the twelve main rivers so that Yeong-heung where the original palace* was sited might had been promoted.
* the original palace: Located in Yeong-heung where the ancestral tablets of the First Emperor of Yi Dynasty and his five forefathers were honored and where the portraits of emperors were kept.