Kyerim sŭngji [or] Gyerim seungji 鶏林勝誌 [Historical Records of Kyŏngju]

Movable type print. 73; 66; 72 (two leaves misnumbered 70); 27 folding leaves. Four vols. Large 8vo (310 x 199 mm.), orig. patterned brown semi-stiff wrappers, orig. stitching. Namwŏn, South Jeolla province: Chŏng Kyŏng-sŏp (printed by Im T'ae-hwa 尹泰和), 1933.


First edition of this local gazetteer for Gyeongju (Kyŏngju) in South Jeolla province of South Korea. This book is remarkable in that it represents a genre that flourished in the Chosŏn period, and it was printed using the movable type technology common in the Chosŏn period but carries a 20th-century-style imprint. It shows the survival and transformation of Chosŏn textual genres and means of their dissemination in colonial Korea.


The word "gazetteer" is used in reference to a genre of East Asian historical and geographical texts generally known in Korea as ŭpchi 邑志, which translates roughly to "local treatises." The now rare word "gazetteer" is used in analogy with a similar genre that existed in British India.


Treatises dedicated to the geography, sociopolitical makeup, culture, or history of localities exist from early times, but the local gazetteer as we know it largely took shape in China in the Song period (960-1279). In Korea, mentions of treatises covering larger geographical units such as provinces or indeed the whole country are found in medieval sources, but no such books have come down to us. Truly local gazetteers covering smaller jurisdictions date only from the early 16th century; the earliest surviving book dates from 1581. Gazetteers for many localities were published thereafter, and as this book shows, the tradition continued well into the 20th century. Although this work celebrates the achievements of the local Chŏng lineage, it also contains information on other individuals. Some pieces are signed: the "Record of Yunp'a" [i.e., Chŏng Kyŏng-jo 鄭敬朝] (yunp'agi 雲坡記) is signed Cho Ik-ching 曹翊承 and dated 1919 (kimi 己未).


Judging by the Preface by Ch'oe Pyŏng-sim (Choe Byeong-sim) 崔秉心, the compilation of the book was carried out by the Chŏng lineage of Gyeongju. The imprint likewise specifies that Chŏng Kyŏng-sŏp (Jeong Gyeong-seop) 鄭京燮 published it, with Im T'ae-hwa 尹泰和 listed as the printer. Unlike Chosŏn-period books, the imprint gives the publisher's and printer's addresses down to the street number. It specifies that the book was distributed through the Chŏng lineage hall. The book was printed in 1932 (Shōwa 7) and published in 1933 (Shōwa 8).


Fine set. The final volume has some minor dampstaining. The colophon leaf in the first volume has been pasted on to the rear paste-down. We find no copy in WorldCat.