경주 선도산 아미타삼존상의 조성 시기와 조성 목적 = The Time and Purpose of Constructing the Amitabha Triad in Mt. Seondo, Gyeongju

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study began with the questioning of this author who was studying the royal tombs of Silla mainly about the opinion of the academic circles of art history that the Amitabha Triad of Mt. Seondo in Gyeongju was constructed for the purpose of Chuseon (追善) of Muyeol's royal family.
The academic circles of art history mostly see that the Triad should have been built around 650 according to its stylistic characteristics and the purpose of creation was for the Chuseon of Muyeol's royal family.
However, this view has continued uncritically even though there is no particular basis other than the fact that the Triad is located in a place to overlook King Muyeol-line Royal Tombs, and recently, some evidence lacking its ground was presented, too.
Therefore, this researcher reviewed critically some recently raised views based on the research results of the art history community and examined the time and purpose of constructing the Triad from a historical perspective.
Noting that The Triad is located in the Seohyeongsanseong Fortress (西兄山城), this study estimated the time of its construction setting the year of 663 when the role of the Seohyeongsanseong Fortress to protect the city by defending enemies invading from the west was replaced by the Busanseong Fortress (富山城) as the upper limit and the year of 673 when it was extended again during the Silla-Tang War as the lower limit. Here, narrowing the period even more, this author deems that it should have been built between the year of 666 when they requested Tang to send troops to destroy Goguryeo and the year of 668 when Goguryeo collapsed.
This researcher supposes that the Triad should have been built to support Silla people [especially Wanggyeong people (王京人)] to overcome their fear of death through the power of Amitabha faith while Silla was fighting in the War of Unification of the Three Kingdoms and also comfort not only the participants of the war but those left behind psychologically and unify their will towards the war. With this, King Munmu could handle the alienation of the public and pursue the stabilization of royal authority as well.