유리건판으로 보는 북한 사찰 불교회화의 현황과 과제

Abstract

The National Museum of Korea holds about 38,000 gelatin dry plates produced as part of a Japanese survey project on historic remains in Korea during the Japanese colonial era. These plates represented a new modern photographic medium at the time. They now provide significant documentary materials evidencing Japanese colonial cultural policy. This paper explores the value of Buddhist paintings at notable temples in North Korea through these gelatin dry plates and examines the perception of Buddhist cultural assets during the Japanese colonial era. Buddhist paintings were not a main subject of research in the survey on historic remains in Korea conducted by Sekino Tadashi and others. Compared to the numerous gelatin dry plates of Buddhist sculptures and stone cultural properties, only a few plates illustrating Buddhist paintings survive. Nevertheless, they are significant considering that many temples were destroyed, and Buddhist cultural properties were lost during the Korean War and given the division of contemporary Korea.<BR> The 1911 Temple Law enacted by Japanese authorities to manage Korea’s institutional Buddhism altered the perception of Buddhist cultural heritage. Seongbo (聖寶, sacred treasures) which had formerly simply been worshipped at temples came to be perceived as possessions with a monetary value. A portrait of a Japanese monk from the Rinzai School of Zen Buddhism was enshrined inside the Suchungsa Hall built for honoring righteous monk soldiers who fought against the Japanese forces during the Japanese Invasions of Korea (Imjin Waeran, 1592~1598) at Bohyeonsa Temple. Master Naong’s certificate of ordination was submitted to the Joseon Mulsan Gongjinhoe (Joseon Industrial Exhibition) convened in 1929 to celebrate the twentieth year of Japanese colonial rule over Korea. These indicate some of the circumstances faced by the Korean Buddhist community during the Japanese colonial era.<BR> The paper also scrutinizes changes in the Korean Buddhist community during the port-opening period by focusing on monk-painters who were active on Geumgangsan Mountain, including Hyeho, Cheolyu, and Chukyeon. The development of roads and railways drew new visitors to major temples on Geumgangsan Mountain. Monk-painters began to be introduced as masters in newspapers, compete with other artists, produce self-portraits expressing their personal identity, and sell their works to foreigners (or at least heavily advertise them). The combination of the information on gelatin dry plates with official documents issued by the Japanese Government-General of Korea that operated policies on the colony’s cultural heritage will facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the circumstances faced by Buddhist temples in North Korea in the twentieth century.