Customer Reviews

Spirit Of The Mountains

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_Spirit of the Mountains: Korea's SAN-SHIN and Traditions of Mountain-Worship_, by David A. Mason, is at first striking because of its physical appearance. The luxurious thick glossy stock and abundance of beautiful, full-color photographs enable it to easily pass for an elegant coffee-table book. But don't let its looks fool you. The text is substantial and informative. What's more, it informs on a subject which is certainly obscure for most non-Koreans, and perhaps for many Koreans, as well.

Writing in an easy-going, first-person narrative style, David Mason treats the reader to a comprehensive survey of Korean _San-shin_ (or Mountain spirit) imagery, together with a thorough analysis of its composition, history, development, influences, etc. Mason collected the images first-hand over a period of some fifteen years. While Mason's writing is casual in style, it is at the same time, quite scholarly, given its numerous references, notes, and a substantial bibliography.

San-shin means "Mountain-spirit, Mountain God, or Spirit of the Mountains," Mason explains. It refers to an ancient belief that each mountain is the home of a spirit or mountain-god that can grant protection, healing, and even spiritual gifts. The iconography associated with San-shin is amazingly diverse and rich in symbolism. The essence, though, is nearly always a grandfatherly figure, a tiger, and a gnarly pine tree in the background. The book contains several hundred photographs of various San-shin icons (as well as of other subjects), and Mason offers the reader explanations and analyses of the underlying meanings of the symbols.

Mason explains that mountain worship is both primordial and universal in its oldest form, but at the same time, San-shin has been assimilated and syncretized with other traditions that make it uniquely Korean. For instance, he writes that nearly a century ago, a Christian missionary observed that Korean mountain worship had certain similarities to worship practices he'd found on mountains in the Middle East. Indeed, those instances as well others found in the Himalayas, Greece, among natives of North and South America, and elsewhere, allude to the mythological construct that Joseph Campbell discussed as "the central mountain of the earth." But Mason also shows how San-shin evolved from ancient shamanism and over time blended with Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism, and Korean nationalism to form part of the core of the collective Korean psyche. And it's interesting that mountain worship practices have survived and flourished to a far greater extent in Korea than anywhere else on earth.

_Spirit of the Mountains_ is visually dazzling, a worthwhile read, and a fascinating pilgrimage to Korea's sacred sites - one that very few people could ever hope to make in person.

This book covers the religious practices of the mountain people of Korea. I was surprised to see not only eastern religious practices noted, but christianity's impact as well. David Mason shows me the what and why's of the mountian people's faith. The color plates compliment the words daring to tell the story on their own.

This book delves into medicinal practices, which are deeply rooted in the beliefs of the mountain folk. I have enjoyed this book tremendously.

I was very impressed by Mr. Mason's research. He was able to capture and express the deep roots of what underlies so much of Korean culture through his thorough investigation. This type of work can only be accomplished through significant investment of time and thought. Korea has been influenced by Buddishm, Daosim, Confucianism and it has embraced Christianity with a fervor that surpasses western vigor, yet the San-Shin spirit will always live and continue to permeate the mind, heart and soul of the Korean people.