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The back cover of The Priest Wonho's Memories of Admiral Yi features the most famous stature of
Admiral Yi in the world.
Admiral Yi stands on guard near the buildings of the national government
just up the road from the midieval West Gate, down another street from Tapkol Park where another generation of heros rallied
against the Japanese at the end of WWI, and right in front of a major landmark for foreigners, the Kyobo Book Store, with
its selections in English and many other languages.
He is in the middle of the road in one of the most busy traffic
centers in the world. Standing huge and strong, the Admiral faces south. It was always from the south that
they came to Korea during his time. He stopped them from coming to Seoul
by sea from the west. Thanks to him, the Japanese didn't try it again for almost three centuires.
From life
there is actually no known picture or statue of Admiral Yi. All paintings and statures of him are based on
descriptions written after his death. This is in part because he was not well-known until the Imjin War.
Then, after his year of incredible victories in 1592, including the First Battle of Hansando and his great
triumph at Pusan harbor, he was renowned by most (as well as envied by the small-minded). However,
even then quite likely any artist or sculptor coming to him would have been rebuffed. With his Confucian ethics strongly
in place he was not interested in self-aggrandizement. (This is totally unlike Alexander the Great, who never
tired of himself being depicted in good ways-- different cultures at work, indeed.)
Of all the paintings and statues
of Admrial Yi, this one captures his essence the best. Strong, athletic, now older, still fierce-- this statue shows a man
that others would be willing to follow into battle.
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