본 논문에서는 고려 후기 13세기 목조아미타불상들 가운데 최근에 불상복장의 봉함목이 조사된 瑞山 開心寺 목조아미타불좌상, 2006년에 새로 복장이 조사된 서울 水國寺와 光州 紫雲寺의 목조아미타불좌상, 기존에 조사된 서울 開運寺 목조아미타불상의 복장묵서명에 대해서 고찰하고 13세기 아미타불상의 성격과 그 조성배경을 살펴보았다. 이 불상들은 나무라는 동일한 재료로 제작되었다는 점 이외에도 몽고와의 항쟁이 끝난 뒤, 사찰의 보수되던 13세기 후반에 조성 또는 중수된 상으로서 이 당시 아미타신앙의 성행을 알려준다. 특히, 開心寺아미타불상은 복장 봉함목의 묵서명을 통해 충렬왕대인 至元 17년(1280)에 중앙기관인 僧齋色에 의해 불상의 보수가 이루어졌다는 것을 알 수 있어 당시 승재색이 경전을 판각하는 업무이외에 불상을 보수하는 업무까지도 담당하였음을 알 수 있었으며 개심사가 이 지역에서 차지하고 있던 중요성뿐 아니라 중앙왕실과의 관계까지 엿볼 수 있었다. 또한 開運寺 아미타불상의 경우는 조성원문과 개금발원문을 통하여, 牙州(牙山) 東深接에서 조성되었으며, 아산이 고려시대 12漕倉 가운데 江都에서 가장 가까웠던 하양창이 위치한 곳이었으므로 동심접의 사찰이 대몽항쟁기간에 훼손되었던 것으로 추정하였다. 또한 여기서 ‘接’이라는 표현은 당시 유행했던 향도와 같이 특정 목적을 위해 결성된 조직이라기보다는 지역성을 바탕으로 결성된 조직이었을 것으로 이해하였다. 한편, 수국사 아미타불상의 복장에서는 己亥年에 판각된 侍中 崔宗俊 발원의 「보협인다라니」가 발견되어 이 불상의 조성배경에 鐵原崔氏 家門이 있었음을 알 수 있었고, 慈雲寺 목조아미타불좌상은 복장에서 발견된 개금발원문을 통하여 이 불상이 ‘羅州止接’에서 개금보수된 상임을 알 수 있었다. 개심사 목조아미타불좌상을 비롯한 13세기 목조아미타불상들은 조각적으로 우수한 불상으로서 고려시대 불교조각이 중국 南宋代 조각양식으로부터 영향을 받아 발전된 양상을 잘 보여준다. 양식적인 고찰을 통해 볼 때, 이 상들 가운데 개심사상은 12세기 말에서 13세기 초 사이에 조성되었으며, 다른 아미타상들은 戰後 13세기 후반에 조성된 것으로 추정하였다. 이와 같은 고려후기 아미타불상의 조성은 당시 신분계층의 구분 없이 널리 확산되었던 아미타신앙을 배경으로 하는데, 염불과 참회를 통하여 아미타정토로 왕생하고자 하는 대중화된 미타신앙의 유행으로 인하여 다수의 아미타불상이 조성되면서 불상형식이 정형화되었던 것으로 이해하였다.

This paper investigates four wooden Amitabha Buddha Images of the 13th century Goryo Dynasty with special emphasis on the documents discovered inside the statues. The Amitabha Buddha image at Gaesim-sa(開心寺) in Seoju(瑞州, present-day Seosan) has an inked inscription on the bottom panel covering the hole into the cavity of the statue, which records that this statue was repaired in 1280 A.D. by the central government-office, Seungjaesaek(僧齋色), which seems to have established during the reign of King Chungyeol, most likely for printing sutras and preparing Buddhist rites. One year earlier in 1279, King Chungyeol sent his eldest son Prince Ja(滋) to Dongsim- sa(桐深寺), a temple in Aju(牙州, Asan) located on the west-coast near Gaesim-sa in Seoju, where he stayed for four years away from the royal court which had been overwhelmed by Mongol invaders. It can therefore be presumed that the repair of the Gaesim-sa image had much to do with the royal court, and that there must have been some powerful clan or person in the Aju area supporting the royal family and Prince Ja. In 1274 A.D, five years before Prince Ja went to Dongsim-sa, a wooden Amitabha Buddha image was made by Reverend Monk Chunggan(中幹) at Dongsim-jeob(桐深接) in Aju, which is assumed to have been located at Dongsim-sa or Mt. Donsim(桐深山). The word, ‘jeob(接)’ of Dongsim-jeob might indicate a sort of religious group or congregation organized by people living in this region. This statue, now placed in the main hall of Gaeun-sa(開運寺) in Seoul, had a large quantity of artifacts filling its cavity including sutra prints as well as ink texts explaining the circumstances of the creation and repair of this statue and providing the list of donors who sponsored it. Like the Amitabha image of Gaeun-sa, a lot of artifacts were discovered inside the wooden Amitabha at Suguk-sa(水國寺) in Seoul, including an ink text from the time of repair in 1388 and dharani woodblock prints dated to 1239 A.D., whose donor was prime minister Choe Jongjun(崔宗峻, ?~1246), a grandson of Choe Yuchung(崔惟淸, 1095~1174), the famous scholar and official of the 12th century. This image, stylistically dated to the late 13th century, is said to have been brought from Simwon-sa(深原寺) in Chulwon(鐵原), Gangwon province, the base of the Choe family. The dated dharani prints imply that this Amitabha image was sponsored by the descendants of Choe Jongjun. The Amitabha image at Jawun-sa(紫雲寺) in Naju(羅州), South Jeolla province, is said to have been brought from Gochang(高敞), North Jeolla province in 1939. Recently, an ink text dated 1398 A.D. recording the repair of the image by donors in Naju, sutras and dharani prints were discovered inside the image. The ink text reveals that this image was most likely executed in Naju where it was repaired in the late 14th century, moved to Gochang sometime later and finally brought back again to Naju. These four Amitabha images are quite similar in their iconography and style. They share the same hand gestures and clothing, including drapery folds. Only the Gaesim-sa image, datable to the late 12th or early 13th century, shows earlier aspects than the other three which are datable to the latter half of the 13th century. It seems that Buddhist temples, devastated by forty years of war against the Mongols, had begun to be rebuilt and repaired after the truce of 1258. Similar Amitabha for the ruined temples seem to have been produced from wood, which was probably one of the more economical materials for statues, at a vigorous pace in the late 13th century following the formal characteristics of the 12th and early 13th centuries before the Mongol invasion, for the groups organized for the rites and rituals performed by monks and lay people yearning for the West Paradise of Amitabha, which anyway would have brought stylization of Amitabha statues.

This paper investigates four wooden Amitabha Buddha Images of the 13th century Goryo Dynasty with special emphasis on the documents discovered inside the statues. The Amitabha Buddha image at Gaesim-sa(開心寺) in Seoju(瑞州, present-day Seosan) has an inked inscription on the bottom panel covering the hole into the cavity of the statue, which records that this statue was repaired in 1280 A.D. by the central government-office, Seungjaesaek(僧齋色), which seems to have established during the reign of King Chungyeol, most likely for printing sutras and preparing Buddhist rites. One year earlier in 1279, King Chungyeol sent his eldest son Prince Ja(滋) to Dongsim- sa(桐深寺), a temple in Aju(牙州, Asan) located on the west-coast near Gaesim-sa in Seoju, where he stayed for four years away from the royal court which had been overwhelmed by Mongol invaders. It can therefore be presumed that the repair of the Gaesim-sa image had much to do with the royal court, and that there must have been some powerful clan or person in the Aju area supporting the royal family and Prince Ja. In 1274 A.D, five years before Prince Ja went to Dongsim-sa, a wooden Amitabha Buddha image was made by Reverend Monk Chunggan(中幹) at Dongsim-jeob(桐深接) in Aju, which is assumed to have been located at Dongsim-sa or Mt. Donsim(桐深山). The word, ‘jeob(接)’ of Dongsim-jeob might indicate a sort of religious group or congregation organized by people living in this region. This statue, now placed in the main hall of Gaeun-sa(開運寺) in Seoul, had a large quantity of artifacts filling its cavity including sutra prints as well as ink texts explaining the circumstances of the creation and repair of this statue and providing the list of donors who sponsored it. Like the Amitabha image of Gaeun-sa, a lot of artifacts were discovered inside the wooden Amitabha at Suguk-sa(水國寺) in Seoul, including an ink text from the time of repair in 1388 and dharani woodblock prints dated to 1239 A.D., whose donor was prime minister Choe Jongjun(崔宗峻, ?~1246), a grandson of Choe Yuchung(崔惟淸, 1095~1174), the famous scholar and official of the 12th century. This image, stylistically dated to the late 13th century, is said to have been brought from Simwon-sa(深原寺) in Chulwon(鐵原), Gangwon province, the base of the Choe family. The dated dharani prints imply that this Amitabha image was sponsored by the descendants of Choe Jongjun. The Amitabha image at Jawun-sa(紫雲寺) in Naju(羅州), South Jeolla province, is said to have been brought from Gochang(高敞), North Jeolla province in 1939. Recently, an ink text dated 1398 A.D. recording the repair of the image by donors in Naju, sutras and dharani prints were discovered inside the image. The ink text reveals that this image was most likely executed in Naju where it was repaired in the late 14th century, moved to Gochang sometime later and finally brought back again to Naju. These four Amitabha images are quite similar in their iconography and style. They share the same hand gestures and clothing, including drapery folds. Only the Gaesim-sa image, datable to the late 12th or early 13th century, shows earlier aspects than the other three which are datable to the latter half of the 13th century. It seems that Buddhist temples, devastated by forty years of war against the Mongols, had begun to be rebuilt and repaired after the truce of 1258. Similar Amitabha for the ruined temples seem to have been produced from wood, which was probably one of the more economical materials for statues, at a vigorous pace in the late 13th century following the formal characteristics of the 12th and early 13th centuries before the Mongol invasion, for the groups organized for the rites and rituals performed by monks and lay people yearning for the West Paradise of Amitabha, which anyway would have brought stylization of Amitabha statues.

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Amitabha Buddha Image, Buddhist sculpture of Goryo Period, Gaesim-sa, Gaeun-sa, Suguk-sa, Jaun-sa, ink texts, votive documents