백제 왕흥사지 목탑지 출토 옥벽(玉璧)편 사리공양품의 원형복원 연구

Abstract

Excavation of the wooden pagoda at the Wangheungsa Temple site, which was conducted by Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in 2007, revealed a set of Sarira reliquary, which was the first excavated item in sites belonging to the Baekje Period, and various types of offerings made from a variety of materials. These objects well shows the internationality of Baekje culture including the outstanding metal work technology and the exchange patterns with neighbouring countries. In particular, inscriptions engraved in a bronze Sarira reliquary that records the historical facts related to the construction date of Wangheungsa Temple created a sensation in Korean academia, because these made an opportunity for re-considering Baekje history. Nevertheless, while researchers have intensively studied a set of Sarira reliquary, individual studies on offerings are still not sufficiently conducted. Although researches on offerings made from metal and glass have been carried out, there have been few studies on the function and characteristics of various types of the jade goods that the site yielded large quantities. This site yielded four fragments of green jade and seven fragments of white coloured jade. Both types of jade fragments were components of a jade disk with a hole in the centre respectively. Four pieces of green jade fragments can be arranged in a cylindrical pattern; thus it can be inferred that these were intentionally cut from a jade disk with a hole in the centre 19.4 cm in diameter, and then buried. Comparative typological studies indicate that these items are almost same types with jade disks with a hole in the centre with dragon design, which is called xuanbi (玄璧) for the funeral that have been identified in the burials of the kings and princes of the Western Han Dynasty. In addition, it can be known that seven pieces of white coloured jade fragments were also intentionally cut from a jade disk with a hole in the centre 8.8 cm in diameter. Among offerings for Sarira consisting of various styles of ornaments and daily items, cut jade fragments whose function and shape are vague are fragments of jade disks with a hole in the centre that were buried in the particular time during the solemn enshrinement ceremony. These items were buried in the enshrinement ceremony of Sarira reliquary when the wooden pagoda was built for comporting soul of a dead son of King Wideok, the 27th king of Baekje. Therefore, these goods might have function to wish an easy passage to eternity and pray peace of the dead son as ritual and funeral goods.