REVIEW
Perceptions and Representations of the Tiger in East Asian Art By Choi Seonju, Head of the Asian Arts Division, National Museum of Korea
Traditionally, many people on the East Asian mainland had to be constantly on the lookout for tigers, which they recognized as savage, man-eating beasts. As the same time, they held tigers in awe as sacred animals that kept various demons at bay. The tiger does not belong in the same category of fantastic animal as the dragon or phoenix. Rather, it exists in the real world and has had a place in people’s everyday lives from antiquity. The tiger image was inscribed on jade vessels in prehistoric 02 NMK
times as well as on weapons and sacrificial implements during the Bronze Age as a symbol of valor or a magical charm. The exhibition entitled Tigers in East Asian Art: Korea · Japan · China shed light on the universal as well as the culturallyspecific significance of the tiger in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese art. Visitors could learn about the perceptions toward the tiger that were shown in the primitive beliefs of high antiquity as well as in Taoist and Buddhist thought of later times. They also
saw how the tiger’s symbolism evolved in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese art and culture. This was a new approach to understanding East Asian culture through artistic symbolism and themes, providing various interesting perspectives and discussions.
The Korean Tiger The tiger character appears in the mythology of the national ancestor of the Korean people as well as in various
