Abstract
The 卍 shape which is used as an aesthetical feature for traditional architecture can be seen in the stair railings of the house shaped ceramic potteries in the Eastern Han dynasty(A.D. 25-220) but with the introduction of Buddhism, it has been widely used for the decoration of the sarira(small crystals of the cremated monks) case. After the shape was seen in the Yungang and Dunhwang grottoes mural paintings, the use of it has been expanded. In Korea during the excavation of the Gyeongju Anapji which was the Eastern palace of the Shilla dynasty, a 卍 shaped wood which had been used as a handrail was found and this shape was also used in the railings of the Shilsangsa Baekjangarn temple stone pagoda and lantern and in the sarira case excavated in the Songrimsa temple stone pagoda. In Japan, the Nara period(A.D. 710-794) when there were many cultural exchanges with the Korean peninsula, the handrails of the 2ndfloor of the main hall of Hoyu-ji temple has a 卍 shape. This can be confirmed that this shape has been widely used as a design in Asian Buddhist architecture. Gilsangoonhae(吉祥雲海) which is the symbolic meaning of this shape means for long life and luck which had been used generally for the window designs of temples, palaces, and houses. In this study, it is giving the definition the beginning and the symbolic meaning of the 卍 shape which is being used from the ancient times until nowadays and the change of this shape used for window designs.