장육불(丈六佛)의 기원과 고대 중국 불교미술에서의 전개 (The Origin and Development of the Sixteen-foot Buddha in Ancient China)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 중앙아시아학회
· 수록지 정보 : 중앙아시아연구 / 25권 / 1호 / 25 ~ 58페이지
· 저자명 : 김세정

초록

This study examines the origin and development of “the Sixteen-foot (丈六)” from the literature and visual sources in China. The Sixteen-foot is 1 zhang (丈) 6 chi (尺) or 16 chi, which means the height of Sakyamuni Buddha in many Chinese Buddhist text. The Buddha statue which was made in accordance with the concept is called as the Sixteen-foot Buddha (丈六佛). This is generally categorized between 4 meter and 6 meter size because the official chi was altered with the change of country and periods. The concept of the Sixteen-foot as a height of the Buddha began appearing in the Chinese literature from the early third century. This term is sometimes referred to as the Eighteen-foot (丈八) but the meaning is basically the same. It was confirmed that many records show the Sixteen-foot has been actually used to produce images of Buddha since early Eastern Chin periods. Especially, a number of examples of the Sixteen-foot Buddha statue remain among the ancient Buddhist art of China. However, this concept was not included in India original text. The height of the Buddha was described as the symmetry of a banyan tree in India literature. Actually, within the tradition of early Indian Buddhist art, the size of Buddha statue is almost a life-size. In other words, the making of Buddha statue of a large scale compared to the Sixteen-foot Buddha was not common in India. Making of colossal Buddha statue was confirmed in Central Asia such as Kizil Cave, but it was also distinct from the making of the Sixteen-foot Buddha. Therefore It was clear that the concept of Sixteen-foot was established and developed independently in China. Moreover, it seems that the Sixteen-foot was later passed on to Korea and Japan as well, playing an important role in the making of the Buddha statue, which seems to require further research. I hope that this study will shed light on how important the size of the Buddha statue, which has been excluded from the main field of art history, is in order to understand the original meaning and context of the image.

영어초록

This study examines the origin and development of “the Sixteen-foot (丈六)” from the literature and visual sources in China. The Sixteen-foot is 1 zhang (丈) 6 chi (尺) or 16 chi, which means the height of Sakyamuni Buddha in many Chinese Buddhist text. The Buddha statue which was made in accordance with the concept is called as the Sixteen-foot Buddha (丈六佛). This is generally categorized between 4 meter and 6 meter size because the official chi was altered with the change of country and periods. The concept of the Sixteen-foot as a height of the Buddha began appearing in the Chinese literature from the early third century. This term is sometimes referred to as the Eighteen-foot (丈八) but the meaning is basically the same. It was confirmed that many records show the Sixteen-foot has been actually used to produce images of Buddha since early Eastern Chin periods. Especially, a number of examples of the Sixteen-foot Buddha statue remain among the ancient Buddhist art of China. However, this concept was not included in India original text. The height of the Buddha was described as the symmetry of a banyan tree in India literature. Actually, within the tradition of early Indian Buddhist art, the size of Buddha statue is almost a life-size. In other words, the making of Buddha statue of a large scale compared to the Sixteen-foot Buddha was not common in India. Making of colossal Buddha statue was confirmed in Central Asia such as Kizil Cave, but it was also distinct from the making of the Sixteen-foot Buddha. Therefore It was clear that the concept of Sixteen-foot was established and developed independently in China. Moreover, it seems that the Sixteen-foot was later passed on to Korea and Japan as well, playing an important role in the making of the Buddha statue, which seems to require further research. I hope that this study will shed light on how important the size of the Buddha statue, which has been excluded from the main field of art history, is in order to understand the original meaning and context of the image.

참고자료

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