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초록

Mt. Nang is a relatively small mountain with an elevation of only 115 meters. Despite its modest height, Mt. Nang held great significance due to its central location within the Silla royal capital and its proximity to the Silla palace Wŏlssŏng(⽉城). The Buddhist iconography found on Mt. Nang is without exception “new.” For example, the Standing Buddha and Seated Buddha images discovered inside the Kuhwangdong Stone Pagoda not only feature unique hand gestures, but are also the earliest known examples of Buddhist icons enclosed in the outer reliquary of a pagoda structure. Additional examples of Buddhist iconography unique to Mt. Nang are situated in the western part of the mountain. Aside from the notable Four Directional Buddhas of Nŭngji Pagoda, the Rock-carved Buddhas of Mt. Nang are distinguished by their singular depiction of a figure wearing a tugŏn(headscarf). It is important to note that the Buddhist iconography of Mt. Nang is sequestered to the northern, western, and southern parts of the mountain. Although the eastern section of Mt. Nang presented sufficient space, the conspicuous absence of any Buddhist structures or images in this area indicates that the temple of Mt. Nang was oriented towards Wŏlssŏng Palace to the west. Furthermore, the Buddhist art of Mt. Nang is concentrated in a specific time period, from the mid-seventh to the mid-eighth century, corresponding to the reigns of King Munmu to King Hyosŏng. During this period, new iconography from the Tang dynasty of China reached Mt. Nang at a rapid pace due to the mountain’s vicinity to Wŏlssŏng Palace. These foreign influences resulted in the emergence of a new style of Buddhist art unique to Mt. Nang and Silla. However, Mt. Nang and the sum of its “new” Buddhist art were overshadowed by the increasing interest in Mt. T’oham from the mid-eighth century and onward. As is well known, King Kyŏngdŏk(r. 742-765) paid special attention to Mt. T’oham because of its role as tongak, the eastern elevation of the five renowned mountains of Korea. King Kyŏngdŏk further appointed Mt. T’oham to a place of prominence by establishing the government-sponsored Pulguk Temple and Sŏkkuram Grotto. Mt. T’oham was also politically significant to King Kyŏngdŏk due to its geographical proximity to the East Sea and thereby Japan, a source of ongoing conflicts. Thus in the mid-eighth century, the center of Silla Buddhist art inevitably shifted from Mt. Nang to Mt. T’oham. Unfortunately, this change also caused the discontinuation of the distinct Buddhist iconography established at Mt. Nang. King Kyŏngdŏk, who was strongly motivated to change the preexisting framework of Buddhist art, replaced the iconography of Mt. Nang with new iconography from the Tang dynasty. Additional factors that contributed to the development of a new Buddhist iconography on Mt. T’oham include the unique layout of Sŏkkuram Grotto and the correlation between Mt. T’oham and the sudden rise of the Avatamsaka Sutra(華嚴) during the mid-eighth century.

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