This painting was produced by the monk-painter Yakhyo, who actively served as a monk-painter in Chungcheong-do Province from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. In this painting, the Mountain Spirit is seated alongside his tiger against a backdrop of deep valleys and mountains. The Mountain Spirit with his fierce appearance strikes quite a contrast with the humorously depicted tiger.
The Flower Garland Sutra describes Main Mountain Spirit, one of the Buddhist deities protecting the dharma. As folk beliefs were absorbed into Buddhism in the late Joseon period, the Main Mountain Spirit came to be associated with a tiger, which was considered a mystical mountain creature, and was worshiped as Mountain Spirit.