Introduction In the Yonghwa-jeon Hall at Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, there is a collection of over 30 paintings adorning its interior walls. Of these paintings, it’s the seven larger paintings that adorn the east and west walls that stand out for their originality and age. According to “A Study of the Journey to the West Painting in Yonghwa-jeon Hall at Tongdosa Temple” by Choi Mina, these seven paintings are dedicated to the “Journey to the West” (西遊記圖), which are a collection of stories written in the 16th century and traditionally attributed to Wu Cheng’en (吳承恩, c. 1500–1582). Originally, these tales were passed down as Chinese folk legends before being…