Recoding Cultural Landmarks as sites of Korean culture in Kyoto

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In this Map (compare with next page) many of the local tourist destinations have been designated for their history of connection to Korea, or to a history of local Korean cultural influences and society. For example #1, The Yasaka Shrine is home to Kyoto’s main civic festival, Gion Matsuri, which was originally a Korean event based on a shamanic ritual (kut) (See: McMullin 1988). #2 is the Kiyomizu Temple, which actively maintains its connections to Korean Buddhism. # 3 is the “Ear Mound” [mimi tsuka] in which are entombed the pickled ears (some say noses) of thousands of persons killed by Hideoshi’s troops in a late 16th century battle in Korea. This is directly in front of the main nationist shrine, and is a regular stop for Japanese school groups. The Koreans recode this as another example of Japanese militarism and cultural insensitivity. These sites can be visited as Korean destinations. Source: Zainichi 1993, Part One, p. 115