古代西海岸의 觀音信仰

The worship of Avalokiteśvara around the western coast a rea of South Korea in ancient age Avalokiteśvara is known as the savior of the great seven suf ferings widely. The great seven sufferings symbolizes all of the sufferings or distresses in the world. Clearly, Avalokiteśvara who not only can save out of sea-disasters, but also can guide all of beings cross the sea of the existence has the character of the savior as the sea god. Yellow sea(West sea) is operated an international sea route to China, Japan, and other southern countries since ancient times. Therefore the worship of sea-god was in possession of the sea-culture must have been around western coast areas of the Korean peninsula. It seems that this worship was absorbed to the worship of Avalokiteśvara after a cceptance of Buddhism. At the latest, the worship of Avalokiteś vara was spreaded from China to Baekje at the beginning of the 6C, and the worship must have been flourished in same century according to some texts. In pursuit of their own Potalaka, Baekje people tried to realize the naturalization of the worship. In relation with this, there are some mountains. I presume that the re were some temples, in the main ports which were connected sea-route, had function as the worship-center of Avalokiteśvara. First, if we look around mountains in relation with the worship of Avalokiteśvara, we are able to point out to Baekwhasan, Wolchulsan, and Byunsan as the sacred mountain. The accurate point of Wollak that is Baekje’s Potalaka is not evident, but the existence itself symbolizes the naturalization of the worship of Avalokiteśvara, Second, if we connect the ancient sea route with the worship behind, then we have to look at the estuary of Youngsangang river, Kumgang river, and gulp of Dangjin, in ports of these areas, there might be some large scale temples were flourished by the worship. The construction of temple in the capital or main ports was faster than in Mts, therefore the worship was spreaded from city to Mts. As results, it is presumed Baekwhasan, Wolchulsan, and Byunsan were as the sacred mountains of the worship of Avalokiteśvara around western coast areas of South Korea, and the representative temples of those areas that exist in the present were Suduksa,, Kwanumsa(present Muwisa), and Naesosa in that time.