고전식물명 자단紫檀과 백단白檀에관한 고찰

Abstract

This study was conducted to figure out the true nature of classic plants, Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood in the ancient documents of Korea. The record of Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood still remains in the various ancient documents of Korea such as annals or a collection of literary works, etc, but specifically which plants are referred to as Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood is not uncovered yet. In fact, currently in China, Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood have been defined as one of tropical plants grown in the Southeast Asia. However, this is just based on the ancient documents of China such as medicinal herb study, so it’s very likely that Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood written in ancient documents of Korea will be different. This is based on the record of 『Sejong Geography Book』 that Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood are grown in the specific area of Korea. That‘s because it is impossible for tropical plants to have been grown in the climate of Korea considering the technology back then. Therefore, chances are Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood of Korea will different from those defined in the China. If Korea imported Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood at that time, they could be the same plants as those defined in China, but if they were grown and produced in Korea, we can safely say it will definitely mean different plants. However, sometimes there are cases that people make mistakes by interpreting Red Sandal Wood and White Sandal Wood of ancient document of Korea based on definition of China without being aware of this fact. I look forward to rectifying these mistakes through this study.