• Title/Summary/Keyword: praying letter

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Interpretation of Praying Letter and Estimation of Production Period on Samsaebulhoedo at Yongjusa Temple (용주사(龍珠寺) <삼세불회도(三世佛會圖)>의 축원문(祝願文) 해석(解釋)과 제작시기(製作時期) 추정(推定))

  • Kang, Kwan-shik
    • MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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    • v.96
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    • pp.155-180
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    • 2019
  • Samsaebulhoedo(三世佛會圖) at Yongjusa Temple(龍珠寺), regarded as a monumental masterpiece consisting of different elements such as Confucian and Buddhist ideas, palace academy garden and Buddhist artist styles, unique traditional and western painting styles, is one of the representative works that symbolically illustrate the development and innovation of painting in the late Joseon dynasty. However, the absence of painting inscriptions raised persistent controversy over the past half century among researchers as to the matters of estimating its production period, identifying the original author and analyzing style characteristics. In the end, the work failed to gain recognitions commensurate with its historical significance and value. It is the particularly vital issue in that estimating the production period of the existing masterpiece is the beginning of all other discussions. However, this issue has caused the ensuing debates since all details are difficult to be interpreted to a concise form due to a number of different records on painters and mixture of traditional buddhist painting styles used by buddhist painters and innovative western styles used by ordinary painters. Contrary to other ordinary Buddhist paintings, this painting, Samsaebulhoedo, has a praying letter for the royal establishment at the center of the main altar. It should be noted that regarding this painting, its original version-His Royal Highness King, Her Majesty, His Royal Crown Prince主上殿下, 王妃殿下, 世子邸下-was erased and instead added Her Love Majesty慈宮邸下 in front of Her Majesty. This praying letter can be assumed as one of the significant and objective evidence for estimating its production period. The new argument of the late 19th century production focused on this praying letter, and proposed that King Sunjo was then the first-born son when Yongjusa Temple was built in 1790 and it was not until January 1, 1800 that he was ascended to the Crown Prince. In this light, the existing praying letter with the eulogistic title-Crown Prince世子-should be considered revised after his ascension to the throne. Styles and icons bore some resemblance to Samsaebulhoedo at Cheongryongsa Temple or Bongeunsa Temple portrayed by Buddhist painters in the late 19th century. Therefore, the remaining Samsaebulhoedo should be depicted by them in the same period as western styles were introduced in Buddhist painting in later days. Following extensive investigations, praying letters in Buddhist paintings in the late 19th century show that it was usual to record specification such as class, birth date and family name of people during the dynasty at the point of producing Buddhist paintings. It is easy to find that those who passed away decades ago cannot be revised to use eulogistic titles as seen by the praying letters in Samsaebulhoedo at Yongju Temple. As "His Royal Highness King, Her Majesty, His Royal Crown Prince" was generally used around 1790 regardless of the presence of first-born son or Crown Prince, it was rather natural to write the eulogistic title "His Royal Crown Prince" in the praying letter of Samsaebulhoedo. Contrary to ordinary royal hierarchy, Her Love Majesty was placed in front of Her Majesty. Based on this, the praying letter was assumed to be revised since King Jeongjo placed royal status of Hyegyeonggung before the Queen, which was an exceptional case during King Jeongjo's reign, due to unusual relationships among King Jeongjo, Hyegyeonggung and the Queen arising from the death of Crown Prince(思悼世子). At that time, there was a special case of originally writing a formal tripod praying letter, as can be seen from ordinary praying letter in Buddhist paintings, erasing it and adding a special eulogistic title: Her Love Majesty. This indicates that King Jeongjo identified that Hyegyeonggung was erased, and commanded to add it; nevertheless, ceremony leaders of Yongju Temple, built as a palace for holding ceremonies of Hyeonryungwon(顯隆園) are Jeongjo, the son of his father and his wife Hyegyeonggung (Her Love Majesty)(惠慶宮(慈宮)). This revision is believed to be ordered by King Jeongjo on January 17, 1791 when the King paid his first visit to the Hyeonryungwon since the establishment of Hyeonryungwon and Yongju Temple, stopped by Yongju Temple on his way to palace and saw Samsaebulhoedo for the first and last time. As shown above, this letter consisting of special contents and forms can be seen an obvious, objective testament to the original of Samsebulhoedo painted in 1790 when Yongju Temple was built.

The study on the script prayed by Ik-An prince(益安大君) in early Choseon Dynasty (조선초(朝鮮初) 익안대군발원사경(益安大君發願寫經)에 관한 연구(硏究))

  • Kyon, Hee-Kyung
    • Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.159-183
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    • 2001
  • The praying sentences of the script of Saddharmapundarika-sutra NO.5 which was made by prayer Bang-Ui, prince Ik-An, was investigated and the cover painting, Byonsangwha(Buddha's preaching painting), and letter style written in the script were discussed in this study. The cover painting on the script is known to be followed to the style of the cover painting as shown in a set of 7 rolls of Saddharma pundarika-sutra of the Horim Museum collection. It is not so difficult to say that the characteristics of cover painting of the script would be suceeded to those of scripts of the end of Koryo and the early Choseon Dynasty. Lotus and its surround was decorated with arabesque figure whose stems were drawn with golden paste and the arabesque figures were done with silver paste. However, for the expression of lotus and arabesque pattern the special feature of drawing style that was originated from the end of Koryo Dynasty to draw the outline with broad line and/or the hardness of drawing line became much more deepened than ever. It is not different to think that this characteristics should be those of Choseon Dynasty. On the Byeonsangwha(buddha's preaching painting) the painting of scattered flowers on stairs of Sumera-Mandala and the scheduled clouds (underseen from heaven) were as similar as to the Byeonsangwha style of the end of Koryo and the early Choseon Dynasty. However, the image of Shakyamuni and/or the halo(光背) is nearly same as the characteristics shown on the Beonsangwha of Saddharma pundarika-sutra of Nesosa' collection, a set of seven rolls which was completed in the 15th year of king Taejong(AD 1415). It is apparent that these characteristics are those of Choseon Dynasty. After king Chungsean in Koryo Dynasty, letter style of Chao Meng-Fu was shown in the script of late Koryo Dynasty as a new letter style.

A Study on the set the seven roalls of the Saddarma Pundarika Sutra Prayed by Yeom Seong-Ik and Script Center (사경은(寫經院)과 염승익(廉丞益) 발원(發願)의 사경(寫經) 「묘법연화경(妙法蓮華經」 7권본 1부)

  • Kyon, Hee-Kyung
    • Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.1-21
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    • 2003
  • In this paper the characteristics of the script centers golden and/or silver letter center in Koryo Dynasty and a set of seven rolls of the script written in silver letter on blue paper prayed by Yearn Seong-Ik were studied with focusing on the referred records and an epilog of the script. This script was discovered from Namgewon's stone stupa, when it was transported from original site of Daekam Dong, Kaiseong city to Kyungbok Palace in 1919. This script prayed by Yeom Seong-Ik which was written in silver paste on blue papers is a set of seven rolls, the size is 31.1 cm (length) ${\times}$ 27.2 cm (width). The cover painting and Beonsangwha(Buddha's preaching picture) were painted out and in the roll cover. This script was written with 14 letters on a line whose characteristic with the style of cover painting and Beonsangwha is similar to the golden and silver scripts prayed by kings of Koryo Dynasty. The person who prayed this script was a powerful vassal of the king Chungyeol period, Yeom Seong-Ik. According to Koryosa(Koryo History) and Koryosa jeolyo(summarized Koryo History), it is described that Yeom Seong-Ik offered his own house which was built by a group of strangers as a 'Writing Place for the complete collection of Buddhist Sutras and the place of the script of the complete collection of Buddhist Sutras. Therefore, it is possible to consider that this script a set of seven rolls of the script of Saddharma Pundarika-Sutra was written to pray for himself as well as his families' fortune at the place of golden script of the complete collection of Buddhist Sutras, and enshrined it in the Namgaewon stone stupa when the stupa was repaired in 9th year of king ChungYeol. Above all the most important point should be centered on that he offered his house as a writing place for golden script of the complete collection of Buddhist Sutras as recorded in Koryosa Jeolyo. The writing place for golden script of the complete collection of Buddhist Sutras should be emphasized on the meaning of its site. It is an important key point to clear that Kumjawon(Golden letter center) would be different from Kumjadejangso(the writing place of golden script for complete collection of Budihist Sutras) with Kumkyungsa(Goldm script place). As considereing the point that this script showed the characteristics of golden and/or silver scripts which prayed by king Chungyeol in Koryo Dynasty as they were, even though this script was manufactured by individual praying, this script follwed in the style of Kumjawon(golden letter center) and/or Unjawon(siIver letter center) as they were, because this script was written in the place of the golden script for the complete collection of Buddhist Sutras. In this paper all of the points described above with focusing on the referred records and an epilog of this script were collectively considered to make clear the characteristics of the script centers, golden and/or silver letter.