中原지역 고려초기 불교조각에 대한 고찰

Abstract

This paper investigates stone and rock-cut Buddha images in the Jungwon(中原) area, the central part of the Korean peninsula, well-known not only for the economic aspect of its production of iron but also geographical aspect of water transportation, where the Yu family (忠州劉氏) of the third queen of Wang Geon(王建), the first king of the Goryeo dynasty, was the most powerful clan. The monumental stone standing Buddha image at Wonpyongri(院坪里), Chungju, is presumed to have been made with the support of the Yu family, because the temple site of Wonpyongri is located near Sungseonsa(崇善寺) temple, built by King Guanjong for his dead mother from the Yu family, the third Queen of Wang Geon. The stone Vairocana Buddha image at Gakyeonsa temple(覺淵寺) in Goesan(槐山) shares much in common, especially in its representation of seven lions on the middle part of its pedestal, which is symbolic iconography of Vairocana Buddha, with the stone Vairocan Buddha image dated 863 A.D. at Donghwasa temple(桐華寺) at Daegu(大邱). The stone seated Boddhisattva image from Seongbulsa(成佛寺) temple, now in Chungju Museum,shows that it is influenced by the new iconography of Esoteric Buddhism as well as of the Maitreya image wearing Kasaya from Tang China. The rock-cut image at Wonpyongri(院豊里), Goesan, of huge two Buddha images seated side by side, was made based on the Lotus Sutra, which became much more popular due to the fact that under the support of King Guangjong(r. 949-975) many Goryeo monks who went to Wu Yueh(吳越), one of the southern kingdoms of Five Dynasties Period, to study and came back to Goryeo spreading the Tientai School of Buddhism(天台宗), theoretically based on the Lotus Sutra. The four above-mentioned images in the Jungwon area datable to the tenth century show that Jungwon was a cultural center of the early Goryeo period, most likely second only to the capital Gaekyeong(開京), which is testified by the fact that the new iconographyof Buddhist art from China was quickly introduced and applied in the Buddhist sculpture of the Jungwon area.