New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>

Many recent studies show that during the early Joseon dynasty, even kings who externally appeared strongly anti-Buddhist defended or condoned royal relatives who sponsored Buddhist works. Extant sutras produced under court sponsorship attest to this fact. An analysis of the production of court Buddh...

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Main Author: Jahyun Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-10-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1008
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author Jahyun Kim
author_facet Jahyun Kim
author_sort Jahyun Kim
collection DOAJ
description Many recent studies show that during the early Joseon dynasty, even kings who externally appeared strongly anti-Buddhist defended or condoned royal relatives who sponsored Buddhist works. Extant sutras produced under court sponsorship attest to this fact. An analysis of the production of court Buddhist prints, focusing on the King Sejo era when a particularly large number of Buddhist projects were completed, yields diverse information such as changes in the style of Buddhist prints and their causes, as well as the intentions of the sponsors. This article examines the creation of new iconography and other aspects of Buddhist prints sponsored by the royal family during the early Joseon period, focusing on the print in the <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>, published during the reign of King Sejo. This new iconography was created at a time that, according to the intentions of the sponsor, clearly attests that the independent creation of iconography did occur in Joseon Buddhist prints, which were mostly considered to be reproductions made by copying the woodblocks of existing prints. Moreover, the projection of the ruler onto Buddhist images as a way to strengthen power shows that Joseon shared perceptions with other countries that sought to use Buddhism as a means of rule.
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spelling doaj.art-a035fe818fe743c094622566822c7c112023-11-24T06:35:16ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-10-011311100810.3390/rel13111008New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>Jahyun Kim0Buddhist Culture Research Institute, Dongguk University, Seoul 04626, KoreaMany recent studies show that during the early Joseon dynasty, even kings who externally appeared strongly anti-Buddhist defended or condoned royal relatives who sponsored Buddhist works. Extant sutras produced under court sponsorship attest to this fact. An analysis of the production of court Buddhist prints, focusing on the King Sejo era when a particularly large number of Buddhist projects were completed, yields diverse information such as changes in the style of Buddhist prints and their causes, as well as the intentions of the sponsors. This article examines the creation of new iconography and other aspects of Buddhist prints sponsored by the royal family during the early Joseon period, focusing on the print in the <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>, published during the reign of King Sejo. This new iconography was created at a time that, according to the intentions of the sponsor, clearly attests that the independent creation of iconography did occur in Joseon Buddhist prints, which were mostly considered to be reproductions made by copying the woodblocks of existing prints. Moreover, the projection of the ruler onto Buddhist images as a way to strengthen power shows that Joseon shared perceptions with other countries that sought to use Buddhism as a means of rule.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1008Record of the Manifestation of AvalokitesvaraBuddhist printsKing Sejocourt-sponsoredcreation of iconographyBuddhism and authority
spellingShingle Jahyun Kim
New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>
Religions
Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara
Buddhist prints
King Sejo
court-sponsored
creation of iconography
Buddhism and authority
title New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>
title_full New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>
title_fullStr New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>
title_full_unstemmed New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>
title_short New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty—Focusing on <i>Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara</i>
title_sort new iconography in court sponsored buddhist prints of the early joseon dynasty focusing on i record of the manifestation of avalokitesvara i
topic Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara
Buddhist prints
King Sejo
court-sponsored
creation of iconography
Buddhism and authority
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1008
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