Article: National pantheon, regional deities, personal spirits? Mushindo, Songsu, and the nature of Korean shamanism.(Critical essay)

IN SEVERAL regions of Korea one finds striking depictions of the deities and spirits worshipped by shamans (mudang, or more politely mansbin), either in the shrines at the shamans' homes (shindang) or in the commercially exploited facilities (kuttang) where most shamanic rituals (kut) are conducted these days. In Korean the most neutral appellation for these pictures is musbindo (literally "pictures of shamanic gods"), but alternatives are musokhwa or muhwa, hwabun, t'aenghwa (a term more commonly used for Buddhist paintings), hwan, or maji. Generally colorful and striking in appearance, these pictures immediately attract the attention of whomever sees them and ...

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