중국 고성촌 2호 사원지 출토 사리장엄구 연구

Abstract

The Goseong Village temple site was excavated from 2016 to 2022 by the Goryeo Archaeological Research Institute and is located in the Tuman River Basin in Hunchun City, part of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, China. Of particular significance, the first temple site is the first Goguryeo temple site to be confirmed within the Tuman River Basin, drawing attention as an important archaeological discovery. The second temple site is equally crucial, serving as a connecting link between the early, middle, and late periods of Balhae. This makes it a highly valuable site for the study of Goguryeo and Balhae history. The recently excavated second temple site is believed to date to the later period of the Balhae Kingdom. Notably, exceptionally well-preserved Sarira Reliquaries were discovered within the underground chambers at the main worship hall site. This study presents a preliminary discussion regarding the Sarira Reliquaries found at the second temple site in Goseong Village, based on publicly available data; in particular, the excavation location, composition, and unique characteristics of these artifacts are examined. This study also explores the possibility of offering these Sarira Reliquaries as objects of worship at the main worship hall site or as part of pre-construction rituals for the temple. However, due to their nature and the fact that they were unearthed from underground chambers, both scenarios do not appear plausible. Finally, the study examines an alternative possibility where the enshrinement location differs from the excavation site. For instance, it is suggested that Sarira Reliquaries originally enshrined at a wooden pagoda site before the construction of a building may have been left in place and covered by a newly constructed main worship hall, with the Sarira Reliquaries remaining intact underneath. To estimate their production period, the composition and distinctive features of the Sarira Reliquaries excavated from the second temple site in Goseong Village were compared in relation to Sarira Reliquaries from other countries. Based on the comparisons with Sarira Reliquaries from the same period in the Tang Dynasty and Unified Silla, Sarira Reliquaries in the second temple site exhibited more similarities with those from the Southern and Northern Dynasties period or Baekje, which showcased the elements of high craftsmanship. Additionally, considering the presence of the first temple site which is adjacent and the yet-to-be-excavated early Balhae archaeological remains in the second temple site in Goseong Village, it is plausible that the Sarira Reliquaries from the second temple site predate the construction of the late Balhae period structures and may even precede the early Balhae period.