佛國寺와 石佛寺의 功德主 = The Donors of Bulguksa and Seokbulsa

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Questions of political patronage
The turning point of political changes took place during the reigns of King Gyeongdeok(r.742-762) and King Hyegong(r.765-780). What I call the three treasures of the Unified Silla Period(the Divine Bell, Bulguksa and Seokbulsa) were all begun to make during the reign of King Gyeongdeok, and were completed under King Hyegong,
around 775. Historians often use the term 'absolute monarchy' to refer to the middle period of Silla. It is necessary to define this terminology, not according to the characters of the individual monarchs, but rather from the political system of the time, in which all power was concentrated in the hands of the monarch. This is different from tyranny.
These two temples were built between 750 and 775. In this period of about twenty -five years, the absolute monarchy was changing to a system in which the aristocracy also had power. Why, in such a time of confused political circumstances, should such a beautiful work of art have been created on such a magnificent scale? In this period, not only these two temples built, but the great bell of Hwangryongsa and the Divine Bell for the great King Seongdeok were cast, with the patronage of the royal court. When king Hyegong ascended the throne at the age of eight, under the regency of his mother the Queen Dowager, it was a time of political confusion. Yet while the casting of these temple bells was taking place in the capital city, the two temples were being constructed by the aristocracy some distance away on Mt. Toham. In the literary sources, the patron was Kim Dae-jeong alone, however, all the scholars think that it is almost inconceivable that such a large construction could have been built by a single indvidual, even though the power of the aristocracy was on the rise. The two temples might have been planned by the state, but overseen by Kim Dae-jeong. In the following I shall examine the question of patronarge
of the these two temples in the light of contemporary circumstances.
Kim Dae-jeong(also known as Kim Dae-seong), the son of Kim Mun -yang, who was Jurgsi(Chief Minister) during the reign of King Seongdeok, become Chief Minister in the reign of King Gyeongdeok who was son of Seongdeok. It was a rare case for both father and son in succession to occupy such a high position. So Kim Dae-jeong clan was close to the monarch, and played a crucial role in fortifying the absolute monarchy It is quite possible that he not only gained extreme political power, but that he and his father also had accumulated enormous wealth including private land.
The Chancellery office was one of the most important offices in the Silla kingdom and the head of that office was Jungsi, a position similar to today's Prime Minister. As this office was attached directly to the king, he participated in all the secret business of court policy. He would receive all royal decrees, and had the control of all the various bureaux. Aristocrats from the 'Jingol' lineage only were appointed as Jungsi. These included minor members of the royal clan, so the Jufgsi was often chosen from among the close relatives of the king. This means that the blood retations of the king were appointed to a principal post in the governmental organization. However, new political power, based on the growing power of the Chancellery Office, began to form. There emerged new political and social figures who rebelled against the power of the monarch.
When one considers the political circumstances, centering around the Chancellery Office and its Chief Minister, Kim Mun -yang and Kim Dae-jeong might have been relatives of the king. Did they truly work to strengthen the power of the king, or did they rebel against the monarch? King Gyeongdeok was the last absolute monarch who had strong political power. He reformed the official system, changing all the names of the provinces and the names of central government offices into the chinese style. It was his intention to model the absolute monarchy on the orderly chinese system.
When King Hyegong ascended the throne at the age of eight, there was constant unrest. His accession was accompanied by a struggle to gain political power among the aristocracy. In the tenth year 774 of King Hyegong (just this year Kim Daejeong died), a new powerful group entered the scene. The members of this group reverted to the former names of the provinces and all the official titles. In the sixteenth year of the reign(780), the Ch ief Minister, Kim Yang-sang and his deputy Kim Gyeong-sin(later King Wonseong) assossinated King Hyegong and thus ended the middle period of Silla. In consequence, absolute monarchism was weakened, and through coalition the aristocracy regained the powers.

Kim Dae -Jeong as a great donor
It is possible that King Gyeongdeok, sensing the decline in the power of the monarch, may have asked Kim Dae-jeong to conduct the construction of Bulguksa and Seokbulsa. However, Kim Dae-jeong retired in the year of 750 from his post as Chief Minister. It is therefore doubtful whether the king would have entrusted in the following year such a large undertaking to him. It is difficult to discover a political motive behind the construction of these two temples, nor do they seem to have made any attempt to hasten the construction. on this account the spiritual and artistic character is enhanced. Also, in the case of the Divine Bell, it was produced during the period of political turmoil, but it has a sublime beauty and is technically perfect, so that it too cannot have been made in abrief period. In the chapter on Silla in the New Tang History, it is recorded: "The families of state ministers continuously recelve emoluments and they have 3,000 slaves, armoured soldiers, oxen, horses and pigs in great number". Judging from this pashage, the aristocracy and landowners, perhaps including Kim Dae-jeong, appear to have had their private armies and private lands.
Under such circumstances, Kim Dae-jeong, after his retirement,

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 머 리 말
• Ⅱ. 佛國寺의 藝術과 思想
• Ⅲ. 石佛寺의 藝術과 思想
• Ⅳ. 문헌을 통해 본 佛國寺와 石佛寺의 相關關係
• Ⅴ. 政治的 後援者의 諸間題 : 景德王-惠恭王代의 政治的 變革
• Ⅵ. 위대한 功德主 金大正
• Ⅶ. 맺음말