남양주 흥국사 근대 범종 연구 = A Study of the Modern Buddhist Bell at Heungguk Temple in Namyangju

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Located in Namyangju, the dharma bell pavilion of the Heungguk Temple, which symbolises virtue, houses a bell recently crafted in the style of the Unified Silla period and also another dharma bell. One of these two bells was cast by a Japanese foundry during the modern period.
The modern bell of the Heungguk Temple in Namyangju, produced by a Japanese foundry, appears to follow the overall style of Korean bells. However, closer examination reveals Japanese characteristics in the relief depiction of the standing bodhisattva and in the size and design of the lotus pedestal. On the other hand, the placement of the bodhisattva images between the lotus petals and the engraving of nine lotus buds within each of the four lotus petals appear to follow the Korean bell style.
The inscription on the modern bell of Heungguk Temple in Namyangju provides insight into the historical background and purpose of its casting. The bell was cast by the Jodo Sect’s Missionary Institution in 1918 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of establishing a missionary office in Gyeongseong (Seoul) for the purpose of spreading Japanese Buddhism among Japanese immigrants who had moved to the Korean Peninsula.
The Institution was set up in Joseon in December 1898, flaunting its close ties with the Joseon imperial court. It gradually expanded its missionary activities beyond Japanese residents to include Koreans across the peninsula.
The location of the Jodo Sect's Missionary Institution at that time can be ascertained through articles and advertisements in the Maeil Sinbo newspaper. That it was located at a key transportation hub, near Japanese residential areas and core institutions of Joseon, also suggests the influence of the Jodo Sect’s Missionary Institution.
The bell of Heungguk Temple offers a new perspective on the historical background of bell casting within modern Korean Buddhist art history, alongside the influx of Japanese Buddhist art. It can not be overlooked that the bell created at the Heungguk Temple by the Jodo Sect’s Missionary Institution followed the tradition of bells cast during that period and adopted characteristics of bells made in the late Joseon dynasty, it did not entirely exclude Japanese elements. Furthermore in terms of casting method, it was produced using the Japanese bell-making technique.