서울 흥천사 극락구품도(極樂九品圖)에 투영된 19세기 이상향

Abstract

This article investigates the creation, features, and inception of the icons observed in the 19th-century Buddhist painting of nine grades of rebirth the western Paradise(極樂九品圖), which visualizes the world of paradise. In the 19th century, Buddhist paintings with a unique format appeared; they were divided both vertically and horizontally to create nine sections, depicting scenes of paradise and rebirth. Such paintings, titled the Nine Grades of Rebirth th the western Paradise, were popular at the Royal Temple (願堂) in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions. This essay examines their characteristics based on a Buddhist painting of the type enshrined in the Heungcheonsa Temple in Seoul. In the late 19th century, Heungcheonsa Temple benefitted from the generous support of the Heungseon Daewongun, Yi Haeung(李昰應, 1820∼1898], who was the regent and father of King Gojong. The temple`s reconstructed halls enshrined newly created Buddhist paintings and served as Wondang, which prayed for the good fortune of the royal family. After the regent fell from power, Buddhist paintings were produced under the sponsorship of court ladies to wish for peace in the royal family. In 1885, four Buddhist paintings were completed and enshrined in Heungcheonsa Temple, including Nine Grades of Rebirth of Paradise. During the 19th century, the painting`s unique format was popular in the Gyeonggi region, as were paintings of Arhats and the Eight Great Events. This article traces the origin of icons in Nine Grades of Rebirth of Paradise in Heungcheonsa Temple to the Buddhist paintings that depict paradise and its description in Sutras. However, the motifs of halls, houses, and auspicious animals are believed to be derived from those of Guo Fenyang`s Enjoyment of Life (郭汾陽行樂圖) or Taoist Immortal on Their Way to Xi Wang Mu`s Banquet (瑤池宴圖), which symbolize good auspices in the real world. In the 19th century, paintings of auspicious tokens proliferated among the general public around Gwangtonggyo Bridge. To people who had not been to paradise, paintings that included the symbolic system wishing for longevity, eternity, prosperity of descendants(especially males), peace, and fortune would have provided a believable model of utopia. This article also aims to determine the undocumented production date of Nine Grades of Rebirth of Paradise. The painting`s depiction of halls and figures was compared with that of Ten Kings of Hell by an unknown artist, which is dated to 1885. The style of Ten Kings of Hell` was similar to that of Nine Grades of Rebirth of Paradise by monk painter, Daeheo Chehun (大虛體訓); therefore, a plausible theory is that Ten Kings of Hell` was created by Daeheo Chehun himself or by a member of his school. Nine Grades of Rebirth of Paradise in Heungcheonsa Temple, a Royal Wondang in the 19th century, represents 19th-century Koreans` dreams of paradise. Since they had not experienced the world of death, they could only imagine the afterlife. They were concerned about the possibility of falling into hell and so strove to avoid this fate. They dreamed of a future that was better than the present. The place they imagined would have been modeled on the comfortable and pleasant spaces in the real world.