석탑에 관한 전설(傳說)의 양상과 의의

Abstract

The style and chronology have been considered as the most important mean and method of the studies of stone pagodas in Korea which begun during the Japanese colonial period, based on this the times when stone pagodas were built have received attention. On the other hand, this study can be said to be an attempt to understand the stone pagodas by focusing on the presentness of stone pagodas, and using legends of the people who have lived together with stone pagodas, as a mean. Therefore, this study investigates around 40 stone pagodas with their own legends, categorises those legends, and examines the significance of the legends in the study of stone pagodas in terms of era, region and people.
 As a result, it is found that the majority of stone pagodas having their legends, were constructed during Goryeo period in the era aspect, in the Chungcheong-do and Jeolla-do in the regional perspective. In addition, it becomes aware that the people felt more familiar to the appearance of stone pagodas with local characteristics an d un ique design than on es with formalized and general shape, through the facts that non-mainstream stone pagodas such as Baekje style stone pagodas and Stone brick pagodas, which have a regional cluster, occupy most of legends of the stone pagodas. It is seen that, in terms of the people, the historical consciousness of the people was reflected to legends of the stone pagodas, and those were used to commemorate a specific object or to be in folk belief aspect. This study has the differentiation from previous ones by not limiting a way of a study of stone pagodas to the buddhistic approach, and the style and chronology.