신라 사천왕사(四天王寺) 사천왕·팔부중상(四天王·八部衆像)의성립문제와 석굴암 사천왕·팔부중상의 도상 변화

Abstract

As the excavation of the ruins of Sacheonwang Temple for years have been finished meanwhile, discussion about whether the godly figures found from the base of a wooden pagoda in the temple are 8 Devas, 4 Guardian Kings, or Godly Kings of Gwanjeonggyeong rises again. That is to say, it has risen as one of the most important core issues in the study of the history of ancient sculpture. In contrast, the statues of 4 Guardian Kings in Soekguram attracts great attention as they are taken to have been built at the stage of completion, and to be representative figures at the stage where the iconographic characteristics of 8 Buddha Devas beyond the status of 4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas including those in Hwangryong Temple and Cheonwang Temple. Thus, this article tries to clarify several points about the importance of those figures in the development of statues of 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas in Korea First, the background of the creation of the statues of 4 Guardian Kings. We can tell that sorts and characteristics of 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas originated from Jangahamgyeong, a version of Ahamgyeong, Geumgwangmyeonggyeng succeeds 4Guardian Kings and 8 Buddha Devas, and both Geumgangmyeonggyeongso and Inwanggyeongso of Giljang succeed the 4 Guardian Kings and 4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas as well as 8 Buddha Devas of Jangahamgyeong. In addition,Gwanjeonggyeong and Gwanbulsammaehaegyeong also made great contribution to the foundation and development of the statues of 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas. Second, as for the system of Sinjung, in particular Mahayana Buddhism, i.e. so called Sect Buddhism, maintains the system of Indra, 4 Guardian Kings, 8 Devas (4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas and 8 Buddha Devas), and Gwijol, which Sacheonwang Temple is completely equipped with. Third, given that 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas originated from India, were imported into Si-Yu and China, and were introduced into Korea, it is found out that figures of warriors also originated from the Gandhara Region at Northwest India, were imported into Si-Yu and then into China, and fully bloomed in Korea. Fourth, it is shown that Sacheonwang Temple is a representative example of a temple equipped with the system of Sinjung with Indra and its dependents, the statues excavated from the base of the pagoda are not 4 Guardian Kings but 3 kinds of 8 Devas despite the requirement of the system of Sinjung that only 4 Guardian Kings exist, and that they are 4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas, an early form of 8 Deva figures along with the 8 Devas on the Serira ware at Hwangryong Temple. Fifth, compared with these, it is found out that the 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas at Seokguram are developed from the 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Buddha Devas advanced from those at Sacheonwang Temple. Sixth, the Iconography of the 4 Guardian Kings at Seokguram features Gye-in, a unique Mudra, which is clear from what Daranijipgyeong states in detail. Of course, though the Mudra of Bongbotap of Bukbangdamunchoen existed much earlier than Daranijipgyeong,we can assume that it is a result of the oral transmission of the iconography of 4 Guardian Kings compiled as icons in India’s Daranijipgyeong style books originating because they are in charge of external protection of the Serira of the Pagoda of Bisamucheon, a kind of Damuncheon. Seventh, this article clarifies the fact that the iconography of Seokguram’s statues of 8Devas, as a universal iconography based on statues of 8 Buddha Devas, is the first example of the iconography of the figures of 8 Buddha Devas in earnest, and we can say that it has great significance as the root of figures of 8 Buddha Devas found from bases of pagodas. As for the iconographic characteristics, this article shows that they are expected to make great contribution to the study of East Asian Buddhist Iconographies as they are unique iconographies created by Silla on the basis of the iconographies of Esoteric Buddhism like Gwaneumeuiso or Seopmuaegyeong and also with reference to numerous iconographies from the perspective of Sect Buddhism.