고금도(古今島) 관왕묘(關王廟) 연구

Abstract

Founded In 1598, when the Japanese invaded Korea for the 2nd time, Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo is a historical symbol to remember the Japanese invasion of Korea. Since the foundation, Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo has gone through continuous transformations as responses to changing relationships among Korea, China and Japan. The paper aims to bring to light important historical facts and argue for the necessity to restore Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo to its original form. First, Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo was founded in 1598, by the Admiral Chen Lin (陳璘) from the Ming Dynasty. The shrine housed the war god (軍神), King Guan Yu (關羽) and the god of the sea (海神), Majo (媽祖). In their hometown, Guangdung (廣東) in China, these military leaders followed the tradition of dedicating memorial service to both King Guan Yu and Majo. In founding Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo, they applied the same concept. Particularly in 1583, Chen Lin had previously erected a Matang Gwanjemyo (馬塘關帝廟) in Guangdong. This experience offered him the motivation to build Gwanwangmyo in Korea. Secondly, the late Joseon dynasty witnessed shifts in commemorative service tradition, which centered on the architectural structure of shrine, and the target of commemorative service. In 1598, the main shrine housed the King Guan Yu and the Majo. In 1666, the entire structure of shrines changed to have the 品 shape, having the East shrine and the West shrine under the main shrine. The main shrine was dedicated to King Guan Yu. The East shrine was dedicated to the Admiral Chen Lin and the Admiral Lee Sun-shin. In addition to the East and the West rituals buildinges, the year 1713 saw an addition of a small temple(玉泉寺) whose role is today’s equivalent of the guard office. The same year saw the elevation of national status of the commemorative service for King Guan Yu (關羽), the Admiral Chen and the admiral Lee. In 1791, the King Jongjo granted Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo a signature board that reads ‘Tanbomyo (誕報廟)', which also contributed to raising the shrine’s status. That year also saw the expansion of the scope of the memorial service to dedicate to one more soul, the general Deng Zi Long (鄧子龍), who died during the Battle of Noryang. Accordingly, the structure is re-arranged to have the East shrine dedicated to the admiral Chen and the general Deng, and the West shrine to the admiral Lee. In the post Battle of Noryang era, Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo became an internationally renowned shrine housing souls of national heroes of the Joseon and the Ming dynasties. But, under the Japanese colonial rule, Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo was destroyed. After liberation, in light of the shrine’s value as a relic of the admiral Lee, the Korean government designated Gogeumdo Gwanwangmyo as Historic Site No. 114. Currently, the main shrine is used to hold a national memorial service for the Admiral Lee, with the general Lee Young-nam. In particular, this latter represents important historical heritage to prove the cultural exchange that existed between China and Korea.