연화대무의 민속학적 연구

Abstract

Today, Yeonwhadae is also known as Hakchum, the crane dance, and some arguments have been made by scholars of dance regarding its origin and significance. According to Goryesaakji, a historical document from the Goryeo period, Yeonwhadae originated from Takbakwi. In recent years, more attention has been directed towards issues regarding Yeonwhadae in the field of folklore and historical study. Much illustration has been made, pointing out its transformation and translation of cultural symbolic meaning. There is a strong likelihood that the crane portion of this dance did not appear in Yeongwhadae during the Gorye period, but it consisted of only two men dancing instead. Eventually, it was at the beginning of the Joseon period that cranes started to appear in Yeonwhadae. Therefore, the meaning of Yeongwhadae was intimately linked with Jeongtowangsaeng of Buddhism. As we know, Confucianism was the national religion of the Joseon dynasty. However, the dance which was influenced by Buddhism was still performed during this period. The reason for this should be that the major religion of the masses was closely related to Buddhism. Moreover, Yeongwhadae was also performed only during events related to the King in the royal court, showing that the dance had relation to the royal authority or the religious power. Thus, it may be possible that Hakchum was introduced through unlikely paths of Yeonwhawhasang which were strongly influenced by Buddhism. Then Hakchum was joined with Yeonwhadaemu later, and this passage may be similar to Hakchum in folklore. In this sense, there is one further argument that might be considered regarding Yeonwhadae’s origin and significance.