1358년(공민왕 7) 李穡의 摩尼山 紀行과 塹城壇 醮禮

Abstract

From his early 20's, Yi Saek had an awareness of both the commonality of the Koryo and Yuan cultures and a sense of pride in his own Korean culture and history. This duality of thought was not confirned to Yi Saek; it was rather the universally held view of Goryeo intellectuals at the time. Thuys, the official, while feeling pride in the uniqueness of Goryeo from the time of Tangun's construction of the Korean nation, does not neglect his country's plans. He held that a kind sacrifices body and soul to his country, because the king is wise and praised King Gongmin's reform policies as he devoted himself to finding ways to keep Goryeo’s sovereignty from failing. The view of the countryside spread out before him as he looked down from Chamseongdan was to him the beauty and magnificence of Goryeo itself. He observed the sacrificial ceremony and reported on elegiac rites of burning paper while hoping for peaceful times. As a Confucian scholar, Yi Saek stated that the act of approaching the sacrificial ceremony with a distracted heart would betray itself before its observance or during the purification rituals. Once the official had completed a ceremony, however, he would be lighter in spirit: “I feel joyful, as if I’ve received a blessing, but because I cannot express it in words, I feel sadness.” Through these words, we can know his thoughts on the matter. Also, as he departed from Jaegung, he uttered his phrase expressing satisfaction with the sacrificial rites:“As we return to the court, let us be filled with the happiness of long life and dedicate our lives to the king in order to institute a peaceful reign.”It was in the fall of 1356, when Yi Saek sought out Mount Mani to perform the sacrificial ceremony. By this time, King Gongmin had instituted a policy of aggressive reform. Yi Saek’s performance of this ceremony at Chamseongdan during this period enables us to attach great significance to the act. Likewise, King Gongmin’s efforts to restore the kingdom through of the Yuan dynasty’s travels brought to mind King Wonjong’s original ceremonial sacrifice on Chamseongdan. From this point on, the king saw the annual sacrificial ceremonies on Chamseongdan as necessary to emphasize the intentions of reform and revival. He entrusted this work to Yi Saek, placing him in charge. Against this background of consciousness of the reality of the situation, Yi Saek created his travelogue dealing with his journey to Mount Mani. His intentions were rooted in taking the initiative in supporting King Gongmin's reformist politics while strengthening and implementing this support through the ceremony at Chamseongdan, based, as they were, on his sense of historical consciousness encompassing his nation’s entire history dating back to Tangun.