Treasure Island Spirit Hunting (Hardcover) - An Illustrated Introduction to Taiwanese Deities

**Highly Recommended by Experts** Recommended by experts, scholars, and writers: Croter (Illustrator) Ho Ching-yao (Novelist) Juan Guang-min (Comic Artist) Moro Miya (Writer on culture) Sea Dog (Picture book creator) Tsao Ming-chung (Writer on Taiwan history and culture) Huang Chen-nan (Book collector, Golden Tripod Award winner) (Listed by stroke order of surnames) **Recommendation by Ho Ching-yao, author of "Yokai Taiwan"** Spirits descend in dreams, twelve deities manifest, and animal and object spirits join the festivities. Illustrator Corner's "Treasure Island Spirit Hunting" brings local deities into the modern era, using charming visuals to connect with readers. Mythology is every group’s most significant spiritual symbol and the inheritance of local stories; every generation creates new legends for its culture. As one of the pioneers of Taiwanese local spirit illustration, Corner does not just depict demons and ghosts but carves new images for the island's deities, holding great significance for cultural recreation. Furthermore, in addition to the whimsical and ever-changing divine imagery, the folklore explanations next to each illustration lead readers to explore the origins of the gods and the context of local transformations, offering profound educational value. Join the craze for the gods. With the dust jacket of Corner’s "Treasure Island Spirit Hunting" (includes a full-color poster of door gods Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong), you can encounter the gods for the first time in an approachable way and understand the stories behind 45 Taiwanese deities at once. This book illustrates the deities Taiwanese people love to worship, the most magical, the most approachable, the most divine, and those with the most unique appearances... the legends of the gods, filled with myths, folklore, and idioms, are wonderful and easy to read! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49703104736_73fcbb2d41_b.jpg Front of unfolded dust jacket https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49702572048_89751d48b1_b.jpg Inside of unfolded dust jacket **Includes large door god illustration** **Cover Design** In the past, people would gather during the Lunar New Year to play the dice game "Hulu Wen." This paper game was printed in the style of a New Year painting (or "Suihua"). The spiral board depicted the Eight Immortals, mythical beasts, animals, and plants, symbolizing good fortune and celebration. This game was introduced to Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty and was popular in Bangka and Lukang (referred to as "Hulu Yun" in Bangka and "Hulu Wen" in Lukang). The various festivals in the lives of Taiwanese people are often closely related to the worship of deities. The cover reimagines "Hulu Wen" as a starting point, using the atmosphere of New Year paintings to bring you into the world of the island's deities. **Book Features** Seek out good spirits for a peaceful life Short commentary—The stories of the gods Proverbs—Common sayings about the gods Keywords—Fun facts Each deity is presented through imagery to show their character and features. Origins and anecdotes of the gods, opening the door to mysterious culture. Respect the gods and love heaven; learn at a glance and find prosperity. Meet a god and worship; learn the stories of the deities! One image, one sense of reverence—a work that uses visuals to introduce Taiwanese deities! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49703595912_78be0ca72a_b.jpg The divine images in this book are hand-drawn and worth collecting! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49703226936_49de60bcf9_b.jpg Tudigong (Earth God) walking in spring https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49702695833_66843d433d_b.jpg Deities causing a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace, and the bewildered Jade Emperor **Read stories of the gods through illustrations and feel easy!** Illustrator Corner draws Taiwanese deities based on local legends: such as Mazu catching a bomb, a cat demon possessing a medium to build a temple, a shepherd boy becoming an immortal, the little ghost who washed carbon white, the Third Prince stopping indigenous headhunting, and the legend of curing a tiger's throat... etc. These stories are essential to read to understand the origins and most legendary tales of Taiwanese deities and to stay grounded! To give the imagery more narrative, Corner weaves the legendary origins of the deities into the pictures, allowing viewers to search for clues within the artwork. The creations are refined and simplified, depicting simple and approachable gods, softening the solemn and majestic feel of temple statues. Reading the stories of the gods really can be easy! From research to creation, this book is well-executed and worthy of collection! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49703227161_cd95ecc23a_b.jpg Marshal Tianpeng https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49703226811_d5dc97c8fb_b.jpg This book also includes stories of animal spirit worship and object worship **Look at Corner's calligraphy and feel the beauty of Eastern characters!** Each deity has a different personality, and it seemed impossible to present this book with a systematic, single font. Therefore, the moment the illustrations were finished, the idea of "inscribing to create divine charm" was born! Corner used fine-point brushes, medium/large regular script brushes, and nylon/sable watercolor brushes to write. Using more open techniques, he experimented with different brush tips, stroke speeds, various brush types, and non-orthodox pens to write characters that match the personalities of the gods, preserving traditional charm through rice paper and brush strokes. Rather than just writing, it is more like painting the characters; you can see an incredibly rich layering of fonts in this book! https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1750/28746542418_58924ea319_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1744/41901695484_aa440b0943_b.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1753/40811941910_d416bf4984_b.jpg **Specifications** *21×26.5cm *Hardcover *Interior - 132 pages in full color *Printed on high-quality art paper Linking Publishing Reviewed by Hsieh Tsung-jung Author/Illustrator: Corner Editor-in-Chief: Huang Hui-ling Editor: Yeh Chien-ting PS. International shipping to Hong Kong/Macau is via SF Express (cash on delivery). For Mainland China or other countries, we ship via post office. If you wish to purchase, please message Corner to confirm postage, and a separate store listing will be created for your order.