Geumgang Jeondo; South Manchuria Railway.

N.p.: South Manchuria Railroad., [ca. 1938]. This map has no date that we can see but history would likely place it at the end of the 30s. It is a full color and artistic panorama measuring 40 1/2 x 8 inches. The color map is on the recto and the verso is filled with text and illustrations of all the desirable and holy sites that the train's path goes through. The eight panels show the area of Kongosan, or the Diamond Mountains. Some soiling to front panel and a recurring 1 inch tear to top border of each panel. Very bright and attractive.In 1910 Japan formally annexed Korea as a colony although in actuality Japan had been ruling Korea in some manner since 1876. The Japanese felt that their growing empire needed a buffer zone between the other two powers in the regions; China and Russia. Manchuria was also rich agricultural land with vast fields of soy. The laying out of a railway is a godd method of establishing borders so the Japanese were quick to lay down tracks. The Diamond Mountain or the Kumgang Mountains are a mountain/mountain range, with a 1,638-metre-high (5,374 ft) Birobong peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the South Korean city of Sokcho in Gangwon-do. It is one of the best-known mountains in North Korea. The area, often called "12,000 Peaks", is one of the most revered sites for natural beauty on the Korean penisula. Koreans have perceived Kumgangsan as their muse since well before the Middle Ages. Practically every poet and artist who lived during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) made a pilgrimage to Kumgangsan. Among other well-known works, are the Geumgang jeondo and the Pungaknaesan chongramdo, painted in the 1740s by Jeong Seon. It was an area of religious interest as well and there were as many as 400 monasteries in the area.