순흥(順興) 치성황제(邑治城隍祭)의 형성과 변화

Abstract

So far, existing research works on the Eup-Chi-Seong-Hwang ritual of Sunheung, the central of which is that of Ki-tae Lee, are largely based on a political perspective, focusing on the establishment and function of the Cho-gun-cheong, a group of woodcutters formed around the 20th century. Relatively little research has been done on the ritual’s formation and later transformations caused by various political, social, and cultural factors such as the abolition of old, traditional rules and the reestablishment of the Sunheungbu rules of the Joseon Dynasty. Through a reconstruction of relevant time periods and a combination of several documentation studies and visits to the sites, which led to an understanding of the history of the Seong-hwang ritual from its beginning to the early 20th century, the following facts are presented. Firstly, the Eup-Chi-Seong-Hwang ritualistic tradition of Sunheung began in Seong-hwang-sa of Mt. Bi-bong, located in the Jin mountain of Sunheung bu. In the early Joseon Period, the Shin-ui was replaced by an ancestral tablet from its original wood statue. The ritualistic style from the Goryeo Period however was retained despite the abolition of the Sunheungbu upon the restoration of King Dan-jong to the throne. Secondly, after the reestablishment of the Sunheungbu in 1682, the Seong-hwang ritual was not restored because of its Goryeo style. Sunheungbu began the Eup-Chi-Seong-Hwang ritual upon constructing the Seong-hwang shrine in Yul-lim. However in the 18th century, the Seong-hwang-sa of Mt. Bi-bong was reestablished and considered once again by officials and the people as the official location of the Seong-hwang ritual. This came about as the Sunheungbu gained the status of “Locality of Loyalty”, and as natural disasters abounded during what is called the “little ice age”, and as the Hang-ri’s thrived. Thirdly, after the beginning of the 19th century, as the Hyang-ri became preoccupied with its power and plundering, the Seong-hwang ritual was moved away from Mt. Bi-bong as its center of operation. With the destruction of the Joseon Dynasty, the Seong-hwang ritual of Yu-lim, which used to be conducted by the officials, was suspended. It was transformed into a people’s ritual, as the rights to hold the ritual was transferred to Cho-gun-cheong around the year 1900. The Cho-gun-cheong used to be a woodcutters’ organization, Fourthly, as the Cho-gun-cheong began to hold the ritual at the Seong-hwang Shrine in Du-re-gol after it was renovated, the Eup-Chi-Seong-Hwang ritual became a double-shrine system, instead of a single-shrine. With this change, the Seong-hwang-sa of Mt. Bi-bong was then referred to as the ‘head shrine,’ meaning that it has become the shrine of the area which continued to commemorate the ritual since the Goryeo Period. The Seong-hwang-dang of Du-re, since it was located at the ridge of Mt. So-baek, was called ‘sang [high] shrine.’ Fifthly, a certain Mr. Lee, a famous rich person during the time, had a dream. Based on his dream, Cho-gun-cheong initiated a project that transferred the bloodstone of the Seong-hwang shrine from Juk-dong to Du-re-gol. Since the bloodstone was recognized as Royal Prince Kum-Seong, who gave Sunheung the honored position of the Locality of the Loyalty, it was placed in a separate shrine, higher than the Seong-hwang Shrine of Du-re-gol. With this, the double-shrine system became triple-shrine, with the addition of the Royal Prince Kum-Seong’s shrine. Because of the above eventualities, the current Eup-Chi-Seong-Hwang ritual of Sunheung now has a distinct characteristic as being a combination of three different rituals: head-shrine ritual for Sunheung bu, San-shin ritual for Cho-gun, and the ritual for the Royal Prince Kum Seong, the cultural hero.