발해 상경성의 불상 - 동아시아 불교조각과의 비교연구 -

Abstract

This paper investigates Buddhist sculpture at Sanggyong Yongchunbu(上京龍泉府), the last capital of Balhae(渤海) period from 794 A.D. to 926 A.D. when Balhae dynasty was collapsed. Sanggyong is located in present-day Bohaizhen(渤海鎭), south of Yongan City of Heirongjiang(黑龍江省). Hundreds of small Buddhist images, discovered at temple-sites of Sangyong since 1930's on, are now in the collection of Seoul National University Museum, Tokyo National University Museum, Heirongjang Province Museum and Bohai Sancheng Museum at Bohaizhen. These images are made with clay, gilt-bronze, gold and iron, and no stone image was found except the large stone Seated Buddha image at Xingrongsi, a temple of Qing Dynasty erected on the temple-site of Balhae period. Close examination of this stone image shows that it was made with basalt, which is too hard and rough for exquisite carving of Buddhist image. Among small terrcotta images, seated Buddha images, unearthed at the inner section of temple-sites, have been presumed to be 'Thousand Buddhas' decorated walls of a temple hall. In addition to this assumption, it is also assumed that some smallest seated Buddha images are likely to have been incarnated Buddha images attached on the halo of the Vairocana Buddha, just as those at the halo of the Seated dry-lacquer Vairocana Buddha image of Toshodaiji temple at Nara. A male-figure image in Seoul National Museum, showing facial feature of black race, indicates that he might be the attendant figure(崑崙奴) to Manjusri Bodhisattva(文殊菩薩), impounding his lion-pedestal. Since a standing Meditating Bodhisattve image in the collection of Tokyo National University shows a similarity to seated meditating Bodhisattva images found in some scenes of West Paradaise sutra of Amitabha Buddha of early and middle Tang period at Donhuang, it is quite probable that temple wall at Sanggyong was also been decorated with West Paradise Scence as we can see at the niche 245 of Beishan(北山), Dazu(大足) Caves in Sichuan Province. There are some iconography of esoteric Buddhism. The gilt-bronze image of one-head and six-armed Avalokitesvara, having no exact precedent of Tang sculpture, seems to have much to do with eleven-headed Avalokitesvara of middle Tang period or with Amoghapasa(不空羂索觀音) image of Nara period at Todaiji temple, and could be one of transformations of Avalokitesvara. Seated Amitabha Buddha image shows Amitabha mudra(阿彌陀定印), which was prevalent in Tang from ninth century and also appeared in Japanese and Korean sculptures of the later half of ninth century. Buddhist sculptures at Sangyong demonstrate that Buddhist culture of Balhae period was quite international and unique. They reveal a variety of iconography and style, which were on the par with Tang sculpture in their variety and creativity.