성주 세종대왕자 태실과 풍수

Abstract

This thesis discusses the Fengshui aspect of the royal placenta chambers(Taesil) at Seongju for the sons of King Sejong. With a primary focus on Fengshui, our study is intended to find out how Korean placenta chambers(Taesil) differ from those of China and Japan, or whether they were influenced by China where Fengshui originated, or whether they were uniquely Korean. We conclude that the following Fengshui characteristics were revealed from the Korean placenta chambers(Taesil). Korean placenta chambers(Taesil) resulted from two converging philosophies of life. The indigenous Korean philosophy of life, which originated from the United Shilla Dynasty, was later influenced and complemented by Buddhist beliefs. The theoretical base for Fengshui that inspired placenta chambers(Taesil) was the book 『Book on Pregnancy(Taejanggyeong)』. It has been tentatively concluded that the『Book on Pregnancy(Taejanggyeong)』, which was later selected as a geography subject for the national exam, was published by the Goryeo Royal court as a set of guidelines for building its royal placenta chambers(Taesil). The book was based on existing Buddhist scriptures, Fengshui publications, and the Sanseo(Book on Pregnancy) medical publication, which explained child birth, from conception to the handling of placentas. Fengshui inspired placenta chambers(Taesil) do not exist in China and Japan, and therefore are unique to Korea. The royal placenta chambers(Taesil), where the placentas of the sons of King Sejong reside, inherited the Goryeo Fengshui tradition. It is the largest sacred site in Korea to have been selected by King Sejong, a ruler who was very knowledgeable about Fengshui. Some previous studies mistakenly identified the site of these royal placenta chambers(Taesil) as a 'Mountain top(Dolhyeol)'. The concept of a 'Mountain top(Dolhyeol)', however, did not appear in the Fengshui studies of the Goryeo and Chosun Dynasties. Considering that the word indicating the '4 Types(Sasang)' only came into common use in the later phase of the Chosun Dynasty(the beginning of modern times), it is clear that the previous studies erroneously assumed the Korean placenta chambers(Taesil) to have been influenced by Chinese Fengshui. We conclude that it was an error to conflate the unique Korean Fengshui culture with a Chinese one. In the case of the King Sejong placenta chambers(Taesil), the arrangement of the mountain range connecting from Mt. Seokseoksan to the placentas(Taesil), and the surrounding mountains and waters, form the mirror image of a fetus in the mother’s womb. In future studies, it will be advisable to visualize the layout of these placentas(Taesil) in relation to their surrounding landscape.