1586년 덕빈 윤씨(德嬪 尹氏)를 위한 불사, 문경 봉암사 목조아미타여래좌상 연구

Abstract

Located at Hoeyangsan Mountain in Mungyeong, Bongamsa Temple houses a wooden seated Amitabha Buddha. This statue is important because the letters of invocation found inside it contain detailed information about its construction and the various repairs it underwent the principal agent of its construction, the monk-sculptors who produced it, and the participants in the invocation. According to the record included in the letter of invocation for the construction of the statue, Crown Princess Deokbin Yun was the main supplicant in the Buddhist service held for its construction at Bongamsa Temple, while two Buddhist nuns named Park and Yun were the main officiants. It is also understood that Hyangnojeon Hall, where the statue is enshrined, served as a prayer room for Crown Princess Deokbin Yun, and that she worshiped the statue throughout her life. In the sixteenth century, most of the Buddhist services held for the construction of a Buddha statue were participated in by local government officials, monks, and ordinary people. Amid such a social atmosphere, the fact that the main supplicant in the prayers held for the production of the Buddha statue at Bongamsa Temple was Crown Princess Deokbin Yun indicates that the statue was closely associated with the royal family of Joseon. In addition, the participation of local officials, monks, and ordinary people as benefactors in the production of a Buddha statue suggests that sponsorship for Buddhist services must have expanded considerably in the sixteenth century. Meanwhile, this Buddhist service may have been held on a large scale at that time, given that highly skilled monk sculptors and painters were invited to create a Buddhist statue and a series of paintings to be enshrined in Hyangnojeon Hall, where the sacred Buddhist service was held. This seems likely because this kind of service was associated with the royal family. As such, the Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha of Bongamsa Temple is considered to be a particularly valuable cultural heritage as it is the last Buddhist sculpture to have been created with the invocation of the royal family during the early Joseon period, among the Buddhist sculptures found so far. The Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha of Bongamsa Temple exhibits the characteristic features of Buddhist statues made in the sixteenth century, particularly in terms of its overall proportions and elements. Therefore, the style of the statue is consistent with the record of its construction year (1586), and thanks to the precise details of its construction, it served as a standard model for Buddhist sculptures made in the early Joseon period. Furthermore, the letters of invocation written during the production and re-gilding of the statue provide important information on participants in the production of the Buddha statue, including monk-sculptors who were active between the late sixteenth and early twentieth centuries.