A Study on the Tourist Guide Book, “Joseon Treasure Mirror(朝鮮寶鑑)” during the Imperial Japan’s Colonial Period

This study aims to analyze the contents of “Joseon Treasure Mirror” produced during the Imperial Japan’s colonial period and to clarify the purpose of its publication. “Joseon Treasure Mirror” was produced in May 1934 to promote Sikdowon (food garden; 食道園) and was produced in the form of a foldout book containing text, photos, and maps introducing Sikdowon. In the 1930s, Gyeongseong was at the time when tourism was active due to the immigration of Japanese people and the influx of many Joseon people from the provinces. Gyeongseong was located in the center of Joseon and was one of the stations starting and ending from Shimonoseki, Japan. Therefore, transportation was developed and it was easy for tourists to access. With the development of transportation, the number of domestic and international tourists visiting Gyeongseong gradually increased, and various guidebooks for them were produced and distributed. “Joseon Treasure Mirror” is also a guidebook produced for domestic and international tourists visiting Gyeongseong. This can be confirmed by the fact that “Joseon Treasure Mirror” was produced in various languages such as Korean mixed with Chinese characters, Japanese, and English. The tourist guidebooks published at that time were mainly produced by the association, and the contents introduced Joseon’s traditional culture, customs, and tourist attractions, etc. However, “Joseon Treasure Mirror” was produced for the purpose of promoting restaurants in Sikdowon, so it mainly emphasized the characteristics of Sikdowon. Its characteristics included specializing in Joseon- style cuisine, accommodating a large number of people, being able to hold various banquets, having buildings and annex buildings of various styles, being able to hold old and new ceremonies, and being able to see performances by gisaeng, a specialty of Joseon. In addition, it introduced maps, popular songs, return gifts, and driving courses for tourists visiting Gyeongseong. Like this, “Joseon Treasure Mirror” is a tourist guidebook produced to promote the various services Sikdowon provides for the convenience of domestic and international tourists. Through this, this study manages to examine the tourism culture, food culture, and wedding culture of the time, and see that tourism was establishing itself as a major industry in Joseon along with the growth of capitalism.