동아시아 해양신앙과 제주도의 영등할망· 선문대할망

Abstract

Korean Peninsula and Jeju island are under the influence of the Kuroshio Current which is a strong western boundary current in the western north Pacific Ocean and in East Asia. The Kuroshio Current begins off the equators in East Asia and flows northeastward past Indochina, Okinawa, Japan and the south of Korean Peninsula and merges with the North Pacific Current which shows the North Pacific Current circulates clock wise. The Kuroshio Current along the North Pacific Current spreads East Asian culture and provided navigators and people adrift on the sea with a way to go to Korean Peninsula and Jeju island which means that the Kuroshio Current was an ocean silk road in East Asia. Indian religion and Ocean belief of Indochina came to Korean Peninsula along the Indochina coast. The Indian religion was Esoteric Buddhism which was a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism mainly on the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy of Esoteric Buddhism spreaded widely around the Indochina coast as Ocean belief. The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy who took care of the Ocean came northeastward to Botanackgasan in Jusangundo, China. Jusangundo in Zhejiang is the biggest sacred place for the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy and it influenced Korean Peninsula. It came to Byunsan through Sadan sea route or to Jeju island through South Sea sea route. There was frequent Sea trade between Korea and China and there was a temple named Byuphwasa in Seogwipo in Jeju island in the early Song dynasty. Seogwipo played a role as a middle port for the Sea trade and Byuphwasa was the sacred place praying for the safety of sailing. Youngdung Halmang and Seonmundae Halmang are embodiments of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. They came to Jeju island during Corea dynasty and became folk religion and were embodied into Youngdung Halmang and Seonmundae Halmang, which shows that the origin of the embodiments is the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy came from India through Chnia.