신라의 옥대 설화와 그 정치적 의미

Abstract

In Silla, there are two tales relating to Okdae. These are records of a Cheonsaokdae(天賜玉帶) during King Jinpyeong’s reign in the middle ancient period and of a Heukokdae(黑玉帶) during King Sinmun’s reign in the middle period. These two records were noted early on in each period because they shared the motif of the Okdae. Cheonsaokdae is said to be one of the three treasures of Silla, along with the Jangyukjonsang(丈六尊像) and the Nine-story Wood Pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple. Hwangnyongsa Temple reflected the political ideology of Cakravartin(轉輪聖王) from King Jinheung’s reign onward and served as the national temple for protecting Silla. The two treasures of Hwangnyongsa Temple are noteworthy because the ideology of King Jeonryunseong of the middle ancient period was maintained even after King Jinheung and was based on the concepts of Sacred Bone(聖骨) and Seokgajok(釋迦族), which were emphasized from King Jinpyeong to King Seondeok. In the case of Cheonsaokdae, perceptions about Silla’s three treasures appear to have been formed during the reign of King Seondeok, given that it is related to the Jeseok faith(帝釋信仰), which was predominantly practiced during King Seondeok’s reign.
 Meanwhile, in the records on Heukokdae from King Sinmun’s reign, black jade was considered to be associated with the Five Elements(五行說). The Five Elements theory, based on Confucianism, was introduced in Silla in the middle ancient period. Particularly worth noting is the fact that Qin Shi Huang, who united China for the first time, chose black as the primary color based on the Five Elements theory. During King Sinmun’s reign, a new ideology was required to match the status of the newly unified empire. Consequently, the tale of the “black jade,” influenced by the Five Elements theory, emerged.
 Okdae can be viewed as a symbol of the ruler, and the tale of the two okdae is symbolic of the connection between the middle ancient period and the middle period, while the heukokdae of the middle period represents the process by which a new political idea was established.