Tales of Chosun Children

<Tales of Chosun Children> is a collection of essays on the pastimes and customs of children during the Late Chosun period. The entries were written during the author’s years in Incheon, Busan and Wonsan with the purpose of introducing the country and its customs to the numerous Japanese businessmen who resided here at that time. A general overview of Chosun’s nature and history in the prologue is accompanied by ten full-color illustrations by Kim Jun-Gun and sketches including <Complete map of Chosun>, <Portraits of Korean Rulers>, <Views of Sungnyemun Gate>.

The ten pictures describing the main events in the book are divided in two main sections. Pictures 1 to 4 focus on children’s customs while those after pertain to their various games and pastimes. This rare book, published 127 years ago, is still preserved in a satisfactory condition. At the request of Publishing Company Minsokwon a facsimile edition with Korean translation of its contents was published in 2015.