Yi Chi-Ham (Master To-jong)

01Identity

Yi Chi-Ham (Master To-jong) in Korean tradition

The entry identifies its subject as Yi Chi-Ham, also known as Master To-jong. In the selected story, To-jong travelled as a merchant along the East Sea and spent a night in a fishing village. A visiting stranger warned that a tidal wave would destroy the settlement. To-jong could not explain the prediction, but he followed the stranger and the householder's family up the mountain. He stopped halfway while the others climbed higher. When the sea rose at cock-crow, water reached his feet and the shore town disappeared beneath it. After the waters withdrew, To-jong asked the visitor to teach him. The man denied special knowledge and pointed out a nearby residence, but was gone when To-jong returned the following day.

SourceKorean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 9)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 10)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 11)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 12)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 13)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 14)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 15)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 16)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 17)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 18)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): VIII — The Vision of the Holy Man (EPUB text block 19)· Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Im Bang / James S. Gale, 1913): The Vision Of The Holy Man (EPUB text block 0, headnote identity clause)

The quick answers

Who is Yi Chi-Ham (Master To-jong)?
Yi Chi-Ham (Master To-jong) is a Korean hero.

02The myths

The myths of Yi Chi-Ham (Master To-jong)

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

To-jong and the Flooded Fishing Village

Teacher To-jong travelled as a merchant to the East Sea and lodged one night in a fishing village. The householder and a stranger joined him in conversation. The evening had been clear and calm, but the visitor suddenly looked over the water and warned that a great wave would soon cover the village. He urged them to flee before it arrived.

The householder doubted the warning. The stranger proposed that they climb the mountain behind the village, leaving most of their belongings in place. To-jong was curious but could not work out what explained the prediction. He went with the householder and family, though he stopped about halfway up. The stranger said that To-jong would survive there, while others who stayed at that height would not. At cock-crow the sea rose over its banks. Waves climbed the mountain until they touched To-jong's feet, and the shore town was swallowed. By daylight the water had receded. To-jong bowed to the stranger and asked to become his pupil. The man said he had known what would happen only by chance and gave To-jong the location of his nearby home. When To-jong went there the next day, the house stood empty.

To-jong and the Flooded Fishing Village, a MythSource painting of the scene

Yi Chi-Ham (Master To-jong)