Poetry and Art at Mudeungsan Mountain: Song Tae-hoe and the Ten Scenic Views of Jeungsimsa Temple

Narrative

In August 1921, Song Tae-hoe (1872-1941), a calligrapher and educator, stayed for several days at Jeungsimsa Temple on Mudeungsan Mountain along with a group of fellow artists, including painter Heo Baek-ryeon (1891-1977) and calligrapher Jeong Un-myeon (1906-1948). During their stay, they collaborated on calligraphy and painting, and composed poetry. Inspired by the scenic beauty of Chwibaengnu Pavilion of Jeungsimsa Temple, Yaksaam Hermitage, Yongchugyegok Valley, Saeinbong Peak and Seoseokdae Rock of Mudeungsan Mountain, and the Cheonjedan Altar, Song Tae-hoe composed a series of seven-character quatrains titled Ten Scenic Views of Jeungsimsa Temple. These poems were later included in his posthumous collection, the Yeomjae yugo (Collected Works of Song Tae-hoe). Born from such artistic exchanges, Ten Scenic Views of Jeungsimsa Temple captures not only the early 20th-century landscapes of Jeungsimsa and Mudeungsan, but also the traces of the individuals who traversed them.