朝鮮時代 <水陸會圖>의 餓鬼에 대한 一考察

A Study of Pretas of the Suryukheodo in the Joseon Period

Regarding the names of pretas (starving ghosts) shown in the Suryukhoedo of the Joseon Period, three epithets are attested through the subtitles written in some of the contemporary works, which include Meon-Yeon-Gui-Wang (“面然鬼王”), Bi-Jeung-Bodhisattva (“悲增菩薩”) and Cho-Myeon-Gui-Wang (“焦面鬼王”). Previous scholarly works based on the above-mentioned subtitles and Buddhist scriptures have revealed that the large preta placed in the middle of the Suryukhoedo, who is usually called Meon-Yeon / Yeom-Gu, Cho-Myeon, or Bi-Jeung-Bodhisattva, is in fact an incarnated Avalokitesavara Guan Yin who is to save mankind and starving ghosts who died from disaster and other misfortunes. Therefore, it would be desirable to shift the focus of the research on those pretas from their epithets onto their roles, which can be divided into two categories - namely, pretas who appear in the world to save mankind and those who will be saved by the incarnated savior pretas. With this in mind, the author categorized the pretas described in Suryukhoedo of the Joseon Period based on their apparent roles. Given that the positions and gestures of pretas all differ in the Suryukhoedo of the early Joseon Period and the differences mentioned above indicates that pretas located on the left side of the offering table with their hands putting together in prayer, as shown in a Suryukhoedo owned by a private collector in Korea, have a role of saving mankind whereas those who are receiving sweet dew under the offering table, as shown in a Suryukhoedo owned by Japan’s Yakusenji (藥仙寺), are regarded as the object of succor. In addition, some Suryukhoedo pieces housed in Japan’s Saikyouji (西敎寺) or the National Museu of Korea depict the two groups of pretas at the same time. Pretas in the Suryukhoedo of the late Joseon Period show more varied poses and gestures in comparison with their counterparts in early period. However, their iconography became more stylized except for some pieces such as those housed in Unheungsa (雲興寺: 1730) and Seopudojeon of Sunamsa (仙巖寺 西浮圖殿: 1736) that show pretas ready to save mankind and other starving ghosts and other pieces such as those housed in the National Museum of Korea (ca. 18th century CE) and Baekheungam of Eunhaesa (銀海寺 百興庵: 1792) in which one or two pretas are shown without an offering table - the composition not found in earlier pieces.