Series Origins
Much of the premise for and characters of Blade of the Phantom Master were drawn from the classic Korean tale, The Legend of Chun Hyang. Youn said many Korean readers of the comic did not like his dark portrayal of the light-hearted classic tale, and he was sometimes told he had "bad taste." He explained that Blade of the Phantom Mask used the original, lesser-known version of The Legend of Chun Hyang, which is far more tragic, as its basis. He sought to not only draw on the beauty of the original novel, but also to arrange its message to fit modern times. Youn also drew upon other classic Korean stories, such as Amhaengeosa (Secret Royal Commissioner), and historical figures like Heo Jun for inspiration.
The model for Munsu was the historical figure Park Mun-su, from Korea's Joseon Dynasty period. According to Youn, he was originally a military officer in charge of training the army, and was active as an amen osa for only one year. However, his legacy was considerable, including not only seeking and punishing corrupt officials, but also stopping the invasion of the Korean peninsula by foreigners and saving the king from a coup d'état. Sando is based largely on Ju Non-gae, a figure from the Japanese-Korean Seven-Year War. Following the capture of Hanyang (now Seoul) by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's troops in 1592, Non-gae avenged the death of her lover, a soldier, by willingly giving up her life to cause the death of a Japanese general. The holiday Uiambeolje commemorates her spirit of patriotic self-sacrifice.
When developing the idea of using a story about amen osa, Youn said he worried that Japanese readers might find the idea too foreign. He later learned that Japan had similar people, called mito koumon, in its history, and eventually found that many places around the world had individuals of similar positions in their own histories. He felt this universality of such heroes who seek out and report corrupt government officials showed that good and evil don't differentiate between countries, races, or cultures. Youn admits to being influenced his portrayal of amen osa by Richō Angyōki (李朝暗行記), a Japanese manga by Natsuki Sumeragi. While a bit embarrassed at being so affected by a foreigner's portrayal of Korean history, he was impressed and surprised by the manga's historical accuracy.
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