• Title/Summary/Keyword: Late Goryeo

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Interpretation and Meaning of Celadon Inlaid with Sanskrit Mantras in the late Goryeo Dynasty (고려 후기 범자 진언명 상감청자의 해석과 의미)

  • Lee Jun-kwang
    • MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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    • v.104
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    • pp.70-100
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    • 2023
  • The celadon made in the Goryeo era, a time when Buddhism was flourishing in Korea, naturally contains many elements of Buddhist culture. Among them, inlaid celadon with Sanskrit inscriptions bears a close relationship with esoteric Buddhism. However, the research on deciphering the Sanskrit inscriptions has made little progress due to the small number of extant examples. However, the four recent excavations at the No. 23 kiln site in Sadang-ri, Gangjin have yielded new materials that allow the existing materials to be categorized into several types. The results obtained through the reading and interpretation of the inscriptions are as follows: First, the Sanskrit characters inlaid on the celadon were parts of mantras. Inscriptions where only one character is apparent cannot be deciphered, but scholars have revealed that others are written in the manner of a wheel mantra represent the "Mantra for Purifying the Dharma-Realm," "Six-Syllable Mantra of the Vidyaraja," "Sweet Dew Mantra," "Jewel Pavilion Mantra," "Mantra of the Savior Bodhisattva," "Dharani of the Mind of the Budha of Infinite Life," and "Mantra for Extinguishing Evil Rebirth." Each mantra was written in Siddham script. Second, they are believed to have been produced during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries based on the arrangement of the inscriptions and the way the "Sweet Dew Mantra" is included in the "40 Hands Mantra." In particular, the celadon pieces with a mantra inlaid in a concentric manner are dated to the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries based on their production characteristics. Third, the interpretation of the inlaid mantras suggests that they all refer to the "Shattering Hell" and "Rebirth in the Pure Land." Based on this, it can be concluded that some of these inlaid celadon wares with mantras may have been used in Buddhist rituals for the dead, such as the ritual for feeding hungry ghosts (施餓鬼會). Also, because the Sadang-ri No. 23 kiln site and the "ga" area of the site are believed to have produced royal celadon, it is likely that these rituals were performed at the royal court or a temple under its influence. Fourth, this inlaid Goryeo celadon with Sanskrit mantras was not a direct influence of the ceramics of Yuan China. It emerged by adopting Yuan Chinese Buddhist culture, which was influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, into Goryeo Korea's existing esoteric practices. Fifth, the celadon wares inlaid with a Sanskrit mantra reveal a facet of the personal esoteric rituals that prevailed in late Goryeo society. Changes in esotericism triggered by the desire for relief from anxieties can be exemplified in epitaph tablets and coffins that express a shared desire for escaping hell and being born again in paradise. Sixth, the inlaid celadon with Sanskrit mantras shares some common features with other crafts. The similarities include the use of Siddham Sanskrit, the focus on Six-Syllable Mantra of the Vidyaraja, the correspondence with the contents of the mantras found on Buddhist bells, wooden coffins, and memorial tablets, and their arraignment in a similar manner with rooftiles. The major difference between them is that the Mantra for Extinguishing Evil Rebirth and the Sweet Dew Manta have not yet been found on other craftworks. I believe that the inscriptions of Sanskrit mantras are found mainly on inlaid celadon vessels due to their relatively low production cost and efficiency.

The History of the Josadang and Its Meaning as Seen Through the Murals of Josadang Hall in Buseoksa, Yeoungju (부석사 조사당 신장 벽화를 통해 본 조사당 건립의 배경과 의미)

  • SHIM Yeoung Shin
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.56 no.1
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    • pp.64-78
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    • 2023
  • This article examines the background and meaning of the construction of Josadang Hall in Buseoksa Temple, Yeongju, by Seolsan Cheonhee(1307~1382) in the late 14th century through the characteristics of the hall's mural. Six guardian deities(the Four Heavenly Kings in the center, Indra and Brahma on each side of the kings) are depicted on the southern wall(location of the entrance) of the Josadang, facing the statue of the great monk Uisang(625~702 AD) on the north wall. This mural is the oldest among Korean temple murals and exhibits very unique characteristics. In general, scenes from the scriptures are depicted on the back wall of the central statue. In contrast, the Josadang mural depicts only the guardian deities facing the main statue with no scene description. The appearance of the deities, who seem to protect the main statue of the monk Uisang, and their expressions, as if drawn from relief statues, are not seen in other murals. Nevertheless, it is similar to the stupas of the Seon(Ch. Chan 禪) sect monks established from the late Silla(57 BC~935 AD) through early Goryeo(918~1392 AD), with guardian deities on their surface. The iconography of the deities is a classic form of the late Silla to early Goryeo. The fact that the Josadang was built to commemorate Uisang, who founded the Korean Hwaeom sect(Ch. Huayan sect, 華嚴宗), and that guardians were placed to protect Uisang's statue reveals the concept of worship for the monk who founded the sect. As a result, the reason Cheonhee built the hall can also be understood as an extension of the ideology behind the construction of the stupas of the Seon sect monks. The problem, however, is that Cheonhee is a monk of the Hwaeom sect, and Buseoksa is a representative temple of the Hwaeom sect, not the Seon sect. Therefore, to better understand the background of the hall's construction, this article examined the situation of Goryeo Buddhism in the 14th century as well as the activities of Seolsan Cheonhee. Since Ganhwa Seon(Ch. Kanhua Chan, 看話禪) was dominant in the 14th century, Cheonhee went to study in the Yuan Dynasty(1271~1368 AD) at the age of 58 and was approved by Chinese Ganhwaseon monks before taking the position of Guksa(國師 national monk). However, he was eventually pushed to Buseoksa Temple, where he worked hard to rebuild it. Cheonhee most likely sought to expand the Hwaeom sect, which had been shrinking compared to the Seon sect, by enhancing power with the reconstruction of Buseoksa. The desire that the Hwaeom sect, which was losing its power due to the rise of the Seon sect in the 14th century, attempted to develop it by building Josadang hall, is well revealed by the Josadang murals.

The Development Process and Construction Characteristic of the Stone Stupa in Gyeonggi-Do (경기도 지역 석탑의 전개과정과 조영 특징)

  • Lee, Seohyun
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.52 no.4
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    • pp.184-205
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    • 2019
  • Buddhism was introduced to Gyeonggi-Do early on and thus created various types of Buddhist culture there. Since the introduction of Buddhism into Gyeonggi-do, the there has been continuous construction of stone stupas. More stone stupas were built in southern Gyeonggi than in northern Gyeonggi-do. In particular, Anseong, Icheon, Yongin, and Yeoju were centers of construction. Looking at the characteristics of each period, stone stupas remain from the Unified Shilla Period to Joseon, indicating that stone stupas were steadily built during this period. The stone stupa corresponding to the Unified Shilla Period is meaningful in that it shows the northern limit of Shilla Buddhist culture. Since then, the stone stupas of the Goryeo Dynasty were actively constructed in the southern part of Gyeonggi-do in the early Goryeo Dynasty. By the late Goryeo Dynasty, the stupas were built throughout Gyeonggi-do, indicating that the construction of the stupa was active. In the Joseon Dynasty, stone stupas were built in temples near Hanyang and deeply related to the royal family. Stone pagodas were erected mainly on major traffic routes. Stone stupas built in Gyeonggi-do have a variety of artistic and historical significance.

Historical Review on the Security Service for the Royal Household in the "Goryeo" Era (고려시대 왕실호위제도의 사적 고찰)

  • Lee, Sung-Jin;Kim, Eui-Young;Lee, Jong-Hwan
    • Korean Security Journal
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    • no.14
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    • pp.413-429
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    • 2007
  • The Guard over the royal household in the "Goryeo" era was the same as if was over the President or Ruler of a nation today. In those days, a king represented a nation and any threat to the safety of a king could bring the destruction of a nation and the dispersion of the people. by reviewing the change of the 2-Gun 6-Wi system of the era, it can be, summed up as follow, Ther will be suggestions. The Guard might focus on a king's personal safety in the wake of the system of the Silla and Taebong dynasties until the establishment of the Goryeo Dynasty's unique political system. "Goryeo" rebuilt the royal palace in Gyeonyeong-gun to take the shape of unified country after its accomplishment of unification of the late three countries, Then it was afraid of the rebellion and uprising of local powerful clans, The country put them under control and organized the local army with them in the era of Kings, Seongjong, through the kings, Seongjong and Gwangjong. The army system of "Goryeo" consisted of 2-Gun and 6-Wi, and 2-Gun placed above the 6-Wi played the role of the Royal guards, and among the organizations a certain army under the specific name of "Gyeonyong-gun" guarded the kings in the nearest position. An aristocratic culture enjoyed its golden age in the period of stability of the aristocracy of "Goryeo", but afterward in the confusion of the aristocratic disruption and incompatible confrontation the country lost its control, and faced military rebellions by treating civil officials well and ill-treating military officials The safety of kings become unstable with the grasping political power by the military officials, and "Dobang" was established in the era of Choi's family to grasp political power. In the era of Choi Woo, he gathered his men and organized his familys army with them and managed the personnel administration with the civil officials of "Jeongbang and Seobang under his command. Such a fact shows the similarity to today's task of guarding. Considering the facts that "Sambyeolcho, the military ground of the military-men-rule, was at the center of the struggling against Mongolia and that even after the fall of the military regime, they rebelled and fought against Mongolia to the end, we came to know that the nationalism in the era of the military era was great. In the transition of external situations from "Myeong" to "Won"(Chinese dynasties), the conflict between the old "Won"-friendly power and the new "Myeong"-friendly power caused the weakness of the power to guard the royal household, and "Goryeo" at last gave way to the newly rising "Joseon" led by Lee, Seong Gye who won the people's confidence.

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Fengshui's Interaction with Buddhism in Korea (한국에서 전개된 풍수와 불교의 교섭)

  • Choi, Won-Suk
    • Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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    • v.44 no.1
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    • pp.77-88
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    • 2009
  • In Korean history, Fengshui and Buddhism were closely connected in a harmonious and interrelated manner, together influencing the location and function of Buddhist temples, the forming of social and spatial ideologies, the spread of Fengshui, the development of Buddhist Bibo-Fengshui, ete. The interaction between Fengshui and Buddhism, which began after the introduction of Zen Buddhism in the late-Silla period, acted as a spatial ideology that empowered the powerful local gentries to trigger a social upheaval in the late-Silla period and was used by the government leaders for political purposes throughout the Goryeo period. In the Joseon period, the link between Buddhism and Fengshui weakened and was felt only at a grass-roots level.

Taesil Seokham Styles of the Joseon Royal Family (조선왕실(朝鮮王室) 태실석함(胎室石函)의 현황(現況)과 양식변천(樣式變遷))

  • Shim, Hyun Yong
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.43 no.3
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    • pp.208-241
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    • 2010
  • This study was conducted to examine the chronology of Taesil Seokham(Taesil Stone Boxes) stored in Taesil of the Joseon Palace and classify the styles to discuss how these boxes have developed. By doing so, this study defined the archaeological styles of taesil seokhams in the chronological order. Although taesil seokhams are placed when taesil are first created, they do not have any texts engraved on them and it is difficult to gain information only from examining taesil seokham. However, Taejiseok(memorial stones buried in Taesil) and Agibi(gravestones buried in Taesil) were created along with taesil. These resources were examined and compared with literature records to find when each taesil seokhams was created. The critical elements to consider for the chronological arrangement were both the cover and container of the boxes and the transition of their style could be classified into four major stages. In detail, the Joseon Dynasty's taesil seokhams initially inherited the style of the Goryeo Dynasty to be formed into rectangular boxes. Through the transition of the mid and late 15th Century, the semi-circular cover with cylindrical container became the popular style in the late 15th Century. In the late 16th Century, the style of the previous period was further developed to add some decorative elements, such as projecting ornaments, but the ornaments were added for functional purposes rather than artistic purposes. However, the style went back to the semi-circular cover with cylindrical container in the early 17th Century. From the mid 17th Century, various styles appeared with ornaments only on the cover, cone-shaped cover with no ornament, or mortar-like container. However, a new style of cone-shaped cover with ornament emerged between the early and mid 18th Century and continued to stay until the mid 18th Century. In the mid 18th Century, the cover remained unchanged, but the container became a keyhole-shaped space with one side forming a "ㄷ" shape. However, in the late 18th Century, the most typical style of the semi-circular cover with cylindrical container reappeared to show that this is the most universal style. Last, in the mid 19th Century, the cover changed from semi-circular to rectangular with flat top. After this, the taesil seokhams began to disappear. In terms of style, it can be classified into four stages. In the early Joseon Dynasty, the taesil seokhams were underdeveloped and inherited the style of the Goryeo Dynasty (Stage I; 1401~mid-15C), but Joseon's unique style began to develop from the late 15th Century (Stage II; 1477~1641). After that, partial ornaments were added for adornment (Stage III; 1660~1754), but the typical style reappeared in the late 18th Century to finally degrade in the late Joseon Dynasty of the mid 19th Century (Stage IV; 1790~1874). This arrangement of style and chronology would greatly help archaeologists anticipate the time and owner of taesil seokhams even if only taesil seokhams are discovered without any records. * Tae(胎) : Placenta and umbilical cord * Taesil(胎室) : A facility(chamber) of burying Tae(胎) in rite when royal descendants are born.

Creating Characters Based on the Portrait Paintings of the Chosun Period and the Death Records of the "Chosun-dynasty Sillok"

  • Jang, Sun-Hee;Kwon, Yu-Mi
    • International Journal of Contents
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.49-58
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    • 2011
  • This study investigates the portrait paintings of the Chosun period and the Death Records of the Chosun-dynasty Sillok in an effort to find new methods to apply to character design. The basis of this study were 42 figures from a group of portrait paintings from the late Goryeo period to the Chosun dynasty of the 25th King, Chul-Jong. First, Chinese letters illustrating the personalities in the Death Records were classified into five groups based on the Big Five theory, which divides personalities into the Big Five Personality Traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Secondly, a representative facial image was created through a morphing technique after extracting the portraits using a method that relied on the high frequency of the appearance of specific Chinese letters related to each personality type.

Review on Local Medical Cadets in Joseon Dynasty (조선시대 지방 의생 제도에 대한 고찰)

  • Park, Hun-Pyeng
    • The Journal of Korean Medical History
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.1-9
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    • 2016
  • The word Euisaeng (醫生) is shorthand the Euihaksaengdo (medical cadets), that means has been changed according to the times. Throughout the Goryeo dynasty, Euisaeng was not mean medical student, but also primary healthcare. Existing research on Euisaeng of Joseon dynasty has been grouped together, despite the identity and characteristic differences between the central and local Euisaeng. The authors have separated the two, and a review of the literature focuses on local Euisaeng. The authors found the following facts in this study. First, status of Oebang-euisaeng (local medical cadets) was declined in the latter than in the early Joseon. Second, Oebang-euisaeng of the late Joseon was Layered Hyang'ri. Third, The local medical cadets was important, the role of primary healthcare. On the other hand, The central medical cadets was important, the role of a student learning medicine.

A Study on 'Ibyeong' in the Late Joseon Dynasty (조선후기 입영(笠纓)에 대한 연구)

  • Chang, Sook-Whan
    • Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.1-16
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    • 2009
  • Ip-yeong or gat-keun decorate heuk-rip, supplementing its simplicity. When the wind blew, a dynamic beauty was created, especially if the gat-keun was made with long straps of jade or silk. Basically, ip-yeong was a practical chin strap to hold the gat tight on the head. Commoners made ip-yeong by folding cotton cloth or fine gauze. However, as available materials became diversified, people used cloth, jade, agate, amber, coral, gold medallion, rock crystal and bamboo as well, juk-yeong, which was made with bamboo, became popular especially when Heungsun Daewon-gun, the father of King Kojong, decreed that people wear simple clothes. Most records concerning ip-yeong in Chosun-wangjo-shillok, the authentic record of the Joseon Dynasty, are related to forbidding a sumptuous life. The book also suggests that ip-yeong was bestowed by the king or was offered to foreign diplomats as gifts. Ip-yeong doesn't seem to be a unique system for Korea. Based on portraits or paintings where ip-yeong can be found, it seems to have been widely used during the Yuan dynasty and the Goryeo dynasty. The system disappeared in China as the Ming Dynasty was established, but it remained in use in the Korean Goryeo dynasty and through the Joseon. Literature suggests that the same materials were used for ip-yeong from the beginning of Joseon to the end of the dynasty. Guyeongja refers to a ring that connects an ipja to a chin strap. Guyeongja made with silver, bronze and jade still remain. In gungjungbalgi, the royal court inventory book, records of imogarye can be found (1882), where ten pairs of pure gold strap rings and ten pairs of gold-plated ones were used for a royal wedding.

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An Aspect of Buddhist Medicine in Korea Studied through the Sūtra of Great Dhāraṇī of the Uṣṇīṣa-cittā (『불정심관세음보살타라니경(佛頂心觀世音菩薩陀羅尼經)』의 치병법을 통해 살펴본 한국 불교의학의 일면)

  • Lee, U-Jin;Ahn, Sang-Woo;Kim, Dong-Ryul
    • The Journal of Korean Medical History
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    • v.32 no.1
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    • pp.63-76
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    • 2019
  • The $S{\bar{u}}tra$ of Great Dhāraṇī of the Uṣṇīṣa-cittā is one of the most widely published scriptures of Esoteric Buddhism during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasty. The sutra is often referred to as a Buddhist medical scripture whose recitation is believed to allay diseases such as difficult birth, chest pain, and infectious and incurable diseases. It utilizes two major methods for healing: reciting and copying the sutra or copying the dharani and talisman which appear at the end of the text with fine cinnabar and ingesting them with aromatic water. In order to understand the medical and historical value of this sutra, this study examines the historical background of its establishment in early China and its migration to Korea in the Goryeo period. This study also investigates the identity and value of the scripture in Buddhist medical history. The oldest known printed texts of the sutra in Korea are dated to the late 11th century. Because of the material benefits of the text, the tradition of printing and distributing the sutra was very popular between the 13th and 19th centuries. Therefore, examples of the sutra having been used for medicinal purposes during rites are found in historical records. Finally, the study tries to identify the relationship between the treatment methods of the Sutra and those of Korean traditional medicine focusing on several Korean traditional medical texts such as the Hyangyak-Jibseongbang (Compilation of Native Korean Prescriptions), the Donguibogam, and the Euibang-Hapbu.