고려 후기 法華書塔圖 조형과 사상 연구

Abstract

The beophwa seotapdo (“Lotus Sutra character-tower picture”) housed at Tōji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, comprises the written content of the Lotus Sutra , transcribed to form the shape of a pagoda. Is is the only Korean example of this form of illustration. This work comprises the 69,384 Chinese characters of the Lotus Sutra , carefully rendered one by one in gilt lettering on deep blue gamji(紺紙) paper and arranged in the form of a multi-story wooden pagoda. Most sutra-based works use separate symbolic pictorial depictions of sutra content and written transcriptions. But beophwa seotapdo combine both of these elements by transcribing characters from the sutra and arranging them to create the form of a pagoda.BR The Tōji beophwa seotapdo was commissioned by Sinangong Wang Jeon (? - 1261), a member of the Goryeo royal family, in February 1249, as an expression of his wish for the longevity of the king and for the welfare and prosperity of the people. It was completed in December of the same year by monks from Sinhyosa, the royal temple. The Tōji beophwa seotapdo was based on another such work received as a gift by Gwon Jeok from the Song emperor in the 12SUPth/SUP century, during the reign of Goryeo king Yejong. Gwon’s work went missing for a while before reappearing in the mid-13SUPth/SUP century as the White Lotus Society became more active.BR Lotus Sutra character towers depict the Treasure Pagoda of Prabhūtaratna that arises from the earth to verify the teachings of the Lotus Sutra . The appearance of Shakyamuni in the pagoda alongside Prabhūtaratna serves to verify the content of the sutra. The transmission of the Lotus Sutra is based on pagodas, while transcribing and reciting the content of the sutra is a key ritual for believers. The beophwa seotapdo at Tōji Temple tells us that Buddhist rituals promoted by the White Lotus Society were also practiced in royal temples, and foretells the greater prevalence of transcribing and reciting the Lotus Sutra later on in Goryeo society, in the late 13SUPth/SUP and early 14SUPth/SUP centuries.BR 12SUPth/SUP and 13SUPth/SUP century Japanese examples of beophwa seotapdo , sharing the form of that at Tōji Temple, also exist. These works, too, depict the pagoda as a multi-storied wooden structure; the origins of this form can be found in the wooden pagodas of China’s Zhejiang Province. In the 12SUPth/SUP and 13SUPth/SUP centuries, Zhejiang, particularly the Ningbo region, was a hub of frequent exchange among East Asian countries. The fact that beophwa seotapdo were produced at the same time in Goryeo and Japan indicates that transcribing and reciting the Lotus Sutra were common rituals in Buddhist culture across East Asia at this time.