New Iconography in Court-Sponsored Buddhist Prints of the Early Joseon Dynasty-Focusing on Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara

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 Record of the Manifestation of Avalokitesvara, 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

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Buddhism · Colophon · Copying · Extant taxon · Five Dynasties · Iconography · Literature · Political science · Politics · Reign · Royal family · Ruler · Sculpture · Visual arts · Chinese history and philosophy · Cultural and Historical Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law