조선시대 王室佛事의 財源

Abstract

The Joseon Dynasty maintained its policy of suppressing Buddhism all the time, but various Buddhist projects were carried out under the sponsorship of the royal family including some kings, queens, royal concubines, grand princes, princes, princesses, and royal clansmen. The Munso Buddhist Hall (文昭殿) inside the palace, as the prayer temple for the late kings, became the center of the royal family’s Buddhist faith, and the female members of the royal family such as queens, queen mothers, and concubines promoted Buddhist projects for the peace of the royal family and meritorious supplication for the deceased or prayed for the repose of the souls of the late kings and grand princes centering on nuns’ monasteries (尼寺) such as Jeongeopwon (淨業院) and Jasugung (慈壽宮). In the early period of the Joseon Dynasty, Buddhist projects were executed by some royal family members in the atmosphere suppressive to Buddhism, and during the middle period, Queen Munjeong (文定王后) (1501~1565) and Priest Bowoo (普雨大師) (1509~1565) played leading roles. In the late Joseon Dynasty, many temples were reconstructed or extended after the Japanese invasion in 1592 and Qing’s invasion in 1637, and with this, Buddhist arts revived extensively. Although the number of Buddhist project sponsored by the royal family decreased markedly, many of Buddhist projects were supported by the prayer temple (願刹) of the royal family. In the end of the Joseon Dynasty, many Buddhist projects were carried out by the royal family mainly at temples around Seoul and they made significant contributions to the quantitative and qualitative growth of Buddhist arts during this period. According to the results of examining the financial resources of Buddhist projects sponsored by the royal family from the beginning to the end of the Joseon Dynasty, the royal family’s private finance (私財政) called Naetanggeum (內帑金 ‐ privy purse), which consisted of royal family members’ private properties, was the major financial resource of Buddhist projects. During the early and mid Joseon Dynasty, Buddhist projects were supported mainly through Naesusa (內需司 ‐ Palace Supply Office), which was the royal family’s representative private finance (私財政) organization, and Sanguiwon (尙衣院 ‐ Royal Clothing Office), which was in charge of the royal family’s necessaries, was also found to have sponsored Buddhist projects. The power of Naesusa, which reached the peak under Queen Munjeong, grew weak afterward and, as a result, its support for Buddhist projects shrank radically from the 17th century. During the late and last period of the Joseon Dynasty, instead, Buddhist projects were supported with Gungbang‐jeon (宮房田 – royal family’s lands). The generous sponsorship of Buddhist projects by the royal family through Naesusa, Sanguiwon, and Gungbang gave birth to high‐level Buddhist arts created by the best artisans, and consequently, played great roles in establishing the ‘court style’ of Buddhist arts in the Joseon Dynasty.