Printing Woodblocks of Daedong yeojido (Map of the Great East)

These are the printing woodblocks used to produce Daedong yeojido (Map of the Great East), regarded as the largest and finest scientifically accurate map of the Joseon period. They comprise eleven of the twelve woodblocks known to survive today, the twelfth being held at the Korea Christian Museum of Soongsil University. The blocks are made of linden wood roughly a hundred years old at the time of felling, and both faces of each block are carved. One face of a block bears geographical information covering an area of 120 li from north to south and 160 li from east to west. Where only part of a block was needed to depict certain coastal and island areas, the remaining blank space was carved with the map of another area, showing that the woodblocks were used with great efficiency. Kim Jeong-ho, known by his pen name Gosanja (1804?-1866?), played the central role in producing the woodblocks, and they are a precious resource occupying a very important place in the history of Korean science.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물