• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.32
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• pp.391-424
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• 2008

A Buddhist relic deposit was discovered from the three storied stone pagoda which was called as Seokgatap of Bulguksa temple in Gyeongju in 1966. In this relic deposit, several clumped papers written in ink which were found from the pagoda. These manuscripts are one of the most valuable materials for understanding Korean Buddhism and Buddhist Art History. In this paper, I examined several terms for pagoda subsidiaries found in these manuscripts, which have not been known to us up to recently. In addition, I compared these terms to the real pagodas or pagoda images in Korea. The manuscripts from Seokgatap pagdoa were composed of three different kinds of records; (1) "Record for the Repair of Mugujeonggwangtap Pagoda (無垢淨光塔重修記, 1024)"; (2)"Record for the Reconstruction of West Pagoda (西石塔重修形止記, 1038); (3)"Lists of Donors for the Reconstruction of the Pagoda in Bulguksa temple (佛國寺塔重修布施名公衆僧小名記, 1038). The terminology describing pagoda was appeared in the first and the second records. In the "Record for the Repair of Mugujeonggwangtap Pagoda", there are more than ten terms, which are presumed to be the words describing some upper decorative parts of a stone pagoda. However, in the "Record for the Reconstruction of West Pagoda", there are fifteen terms which would describe the body and base parts of the Seokgatap pagoda. These new terms for pagoda subsidiaries appeared in the manuscripts of Seokgatap Pagoda are very significant materials in understanding Korean Buddhist Art, because they show the practical terms which were used in the eleventh century Buddhism of Korea, but never known to the modern academic world. The manuscripts of Seokgatap Pagoda have not been deciphered perfectly yet, so they have to be examined with more precise as well as with wider view of Buddist and Art History.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.59-72
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• 2018

The detailed names and meanings of Korean stone pagodas have not yet been properly studied or clearly defined. Therefore, an aim of this report is to compare the detailed names of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese stone pagodas by focusing on content used previously by Ko and his students and content that is currently in use (i.e., since the Japanese colonial era). Additional objectives are to assess the significance of these names and propose an appropriate detailed draft regarding names of stone pagodas. The discussion will proceed by dividing the stone pagoda into three parts: the podium, main structure, and finial. First, the content in Luo Zhewen(羅哲文)'s "Ancient pagodas in China(中國古塔)" (1985) is considered; then, "朝鮮の石塔" (1943)-published by during the Japanese colonial era-is explored. The thesis written by Yu-Seop Ko regarding Korea's first stone pagoda and the content in "A Study of Korean Pagodas(朝鮮塔婆의 硏究)" (1948), which contains Yu-Seop Ko's posthumous works published in book form by his student Su-Yeong Hwang, Heu-Kyoung Kim are examined. to pagodas that are used today, are compared and reviewed. Since Korea, China, and Japan influence each other, pagoda-related terms are shared to some extent. In this study, these were applied to stone pagodas, and names used thus far that have not drawn criticism were studied and proposed as suitable alternatives.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.55-70
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• 2010

Although scholarly terminology should have clear meanings as signs, Korean pagoda terminology has become jargon and is creating difficulties in communicating meanings which are far from the originally intended meanings; this terminology is sometimes notated in dead language, meaning old Chinese characters, or Japanese styled Chinese characters. Nobody has asked questions on the terminology itself which has long been commonly used for a century, since the Japanese-ruling period. One of the main reasons for this error is that the Indian Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit has been translated into Chinese with vague understanding of form and meaning of stupa since 3rd Century A.D. On the other hand, the English-language terminology, already built by Indology scholars since the beginning of the 20th century, consists of easier language and clearer meanings. This paper examines misunderstanding and mistranslation of the original Indian stupa terms and suggests new terminology in current, easier language.

• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.101
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• pp.12-46
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• 2022

Completed in 1467, the Thirteen-story Stone Pagoda of Wongaksa Temple is the last Buddhist pagoda erected at the center of the capital (present-day Seoul) of the Joseon Dynasty. It was commissioned by King Sejo, the final Korean king to favor Buddhism. In this paper, I aim to examine King Sejo's intentions behind celebrating the tenth anniversary of his enthronement with the construction of the thirteen-story stone pagoda in the central area of the capital and the enshrinement of sarira from Shakyamuni Buddha and the Newly Translated Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (圓覺經). This paper provides a summary of this examination and suggests future research directions. The second chapter of the paper discusses the scriptural background for thirteen-story stone pagodas from multiple perspectives. I was the first to specify the Latter Part of the Nirvana Sutra (大般涅槃經後分) as the most direct and fundamental scripture for the erection of a thirteen-story stone pagoda. I also found that this sutra was translated in Central Java in the latter half of the seventh century and was then circulated in East Asia. Moreover, I focused on the so-called Kanishka-style stupa as the origin of thirteen-story stone pagodas and provided an overview of thirteen-story stone pagodas built around East Asia, including in Korea. In addition, by consulting Buddhist references, I prove that the thirteen stories symbolize the stages of the practice of asceticism towards enlightenment. In this regard, the number thirteen can be viewed as a special and sacred number to Buddhist devotees. The third chapter explores the Buddhist background of King Sejo's establishment of the Thirteen-story Stone Pagoda of Wongaksa Temple. I studied both the Dictionary of Sanskrit-Chinese Translation of Buddhist Terms (翻譯名義集) (which King Sejo personally purchased in China and published for the first time in Korea) and the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment. King Sejo involved himself in the first translation of the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment into Korean. The Dictionary of Sanskrit-Chinese Translation of Buddhist Terms was published in the fourteenth century as a type of Buddhist glossary. King Sejo is presumed to have been introduced to the Latter Part of the Nirvana Sutra, the fundamental scripture regarding thirteen-story pagodas, through the Dictionary of Sanskrit-Chinese Translation of Buddhist Terms, when he was set to erect a pagoda at Wongaksa Temple. King Sejo also enshrined the Newly Translated Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment inside the Wongaksa pagoda as a scripture representing the entire Tripitaka. This enshrined sutra appears to be the vernacular version for which King Sejo participated in the first Korean translation. Furthermore, I assert that the original text of the vernacular version is the Abridged Commentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (圓覺經略疏) by Zongmi (宗密, 780-841), different from what has been previously believed. The final chapter of the paper elucidates the political semantics of the establishment of the Wongaksa pagoda by comparing and examining stone pagodas erected at neungsa (陵寺) or jinjeonsawon (眞殿寺院), which were types of temples built to protect the tombs of royal family members near their tombs during the early Joseon period. These stone pagodas include the Thirteen-story Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple, the Stone Pagoda of Gaegyeongsa Temple, the Stone Pagoda of Yeongyeongsa Temple, and the Multi-story Stone Pagoda of Silleuksa Temple. The comparative analysis of these stone pagodas reveals that King Sejo established the Thirteen-story Stone Pagoda at Wongaksa Temple as a political emblem to legitimize his succession to the throne. In this paper, I attempt to better understand the scriptural and political semantics of the Wongaksa pagoda as a thirteen-story pagoda. By providing a Korean case study, this attempt will contribute to the understanding of Buddhist pagoda culture that reached its peak during the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods. It also contributes to the research on thirteen-story pagodas in East Asia that originated with Kanishka stupa and were based on the Latter Part of the Nirvana Sutra.