新羅 法光寺 石塔記

On the Silla Stone Pagoda Tablets of Bopkwang-sa Temple

Buddhism in Silla spread widely to local provinces with the be-ginning of the 9th century, and consequently many new temples of all sizes were founded here and there. Most of the stone pagodas of later Silla period now remaining in other areas than Kyongju, are those that were erected with this trend in the background. The site of Bopkwang-sa Temple(法光寺), now preserved at the eastern foot of Mt. Bi-hak(飛鶴山) in Sin-kwang-myon(神光面), Young-il-gun(迎日郡), North Kyongsang Province is one of the historical remains of Silla, especially one of those dating back to this period. There is a three-storeyed stone pagoda standing on this site today. Unfortunately, the sarira and other valuable articles of this stone pagoda were stolen by thieves only a few years ago, but there remain two small tablets (jiseok-誌石). Through the inscriptions on these stones the dates of the erection and repairs of the stone pagoda were learned, and, further, through the names of persons in the inscriptions was found the fact that this temple had been in close relationship with the royal family of the kingdom. The tablets each bear six letters ‘Bopkwang-sa-seok-tab-gi’(法光寺石塔記)-epitaph for the stone pagoda-inscribed on a side, and the main inscriptions on the other surfaces are, in summary, as follows: [On the first tablet, 10. 8 ㎝ long and 4 ㎝ wide] “This pagoda is erected by Hyang-jo(香照) and Weon-jeok(圓寂) in the seventh moon of the second year of Dae-hwa(大和2年)-(A.D. 828) and the supporter is King Seong-deok(成德大王). “The pagoda is moved and repaired in the ninth moon of the sixth year of Hoe-chang(會昌6年). Prayed is that the supporters generation after generation may be reborn in Paradise, and that the king may live long in happiness. “Twenty-two sarira in the pagoda” [On the second tablet, 6.2 ㎝ long and 2.7 ㎝ wide] “Is repaired in the seventh moon of the 37th year of K’anghsi (康熙37年-A.D. 1638). “Is repaired in the second moon of the 12th year of Chienlung (乾隆12年-A.D. 1747). “Chief executives are Myeong-ok(明玉) and Dam-hak(談學)...” By the first stone it is certain that the pagoda was first erected in 828 and moved to the present site in 846. But the epitaph itself must have been inscribed in 846, the latter date. For King Seong-deok being the father of King Sin-mu(神武王), began to be called by this posthumous title only in the first year of King Sin-mu (A.D. 839). King Seong-deok had been, in life, that Kim Kyun-jeong the famous character in Silla history, and he could hardly have been called by that title in A.D. 828, when the pagoda was first erected. From the inscriptions stating that King Seong-deok was the main supporter of this Bopkwang-sa Temple, it is clearly to be seen that the temple was supported by him and his descendants of the direct line, King Sin-mu, King Mun-seong,(文聖王), etc. Temples of Later Silla period were each founded and supported by opposing sects or lines of royalty. The second stone makes it clear that the pagoda was twice repaired in modern times. Especially, the repair made in the reign of King Young-jo of Yi Dynasty is recorded in detail in the inscriptions on the monument standing in the back of the pagoda. This monument, erected in the 15th year of Chienlung(1750), tells us not merely of the existence of the two tablets, but of the way of preserving the sarira and also lists the stored items. This three-storeyed stone pagoda, although it is of a small size, will serve as a standard in study of other stone pagodas of Silla period, now that its date of erection has been determined. And the two small tablets, too, are rightfully important data for study of ancient epigraphy.