16세기 野祭의 실태와 그 의미 －『묵재일기』를 중심으로－

Abstract

Yaje(the Field Shamanic Rituals) is a concept full of various characteristics and meanings in terms of place, objective, and method of the ceremony. It started outdoors, which is “outside home,” and ended in the evening. Its objective was to console the spirits of the deceased or prevent any ghost attack following a disease or death. In some cases, it was performed as part of the expiration procedure of the mourning period. Yaje was often mixed in usage with “Yasa.” There were examples of Yaje before the Japanese Invasion of Joseon in 1592, since when almost no examples had been confirmed. While Yaje is a broad term to include a range of ceremonies performed to achieve various goals outdoors, this study limited its scope to Mangjacheondogut presided over by a female shaman. In an exile in Seongju, Gyeongsang Province, Lee Mun-geon once held a high central government position and had a high level of Confucian knowledge. In an effort to console the spirit of his deceased son, he held a Buddhist ceremony at a Buddhist temple and also a Cheondo ceremony at his home by inviting a female shaman. In addition to regular female shamans, certain female shamans with a higher level of capacity were invited to hold Yaje. Female shamans would cleanse their bodies and souls in a separate place before holding Yaje. Although it is impossible to confirm the specific ceremony process, it is widely accepted that Yaje was a gut intended to console the spirit of the deceased and to relieve the grief of the living. There was also a custom of the female shaman secretly escaping the venue and heading home after the ceremony. What is interesting is that a group of Buddhist monks made the offerings and ornaments for Yaje in the house of Lee Mun-geon, which is a good example to prove the close interactions between the shamanist custom and Buddhism. Like all the literature materials about the shamanist custom, the ones about Yaje are very poor, which means there are limitations with the examination of its state in the 16th century. However, it is known that the shamanist-style Cheondo gut was performed in the name of Yaje and that even the noblemen and illustrious officials did not refuse it, which is attributed to the social idea that placed more importance on an effort to console the spirit of the deceased.