조선후기 제주지역 마애석각 연구

Abstract

Currently, there are 95 rock cliff carvings identified as those built in the late Joseon period among the ones distributed in Jeju Region. In Joseon Dynasty, Confucian scholars and officials who revered Confucianism and took Confucian ethics as the ultimate means of self-discipline had a custom of traveling to beautiful scenery, and in Jeju Region, rock cliff carvings began to be built in Yongyeon Jeju-mok by government officials dispatched from the central government in the mid-17th century. The rock cliff carvings built around the jurisdiction of Jeju-mok in the 18th century spread to beautiful scenery in three towns in Jeju Island from the middle of the century to the 19th century. There are 80 Buddhist images in the jurisdiction of Jeju-mok, which are 84% of the entire rock cliff carvings in the late Joseon period, and 72 of them are located in Yongyeon, Bangseonmun and Baengnokdam: Yongyeon and Bangseonmun with beautiful scenery are located near the town wall of Jeju while in Baengnokdam, the climbing of royal secret inspectors and provincial governors to hold liturgy and ritual for rain to noted mountains and large rivers continued throughout the Joseon period, so rock cliff carvings were built in the above three locations. 13 of them are located at Sanbanggulsa Grotto in Daejeong Prefecture and Jeongeui Prefecture where 16 rock cliff carvings are identified, but only a few are located in other areas. Geographical conditions might act on this. Although there are the highly admired sights of Jeju such as Jeongbang Fall, Cheonjiyeon and Cheonjeyeon in the area, they are distant from the ruling place of the three towns, so they are not places to which provincial governors, the leading exponents of rock cliff carvings could easily equip themselves and set off. There were only 3 rock cliff carvings in the 17th century, but as there was regular sightseeing of beautiful scenery in Jeju Region: for example, one exponent of stone carving left rock cliff carvings in more than two places, a total of 47 rock cliff carvings was built in the 18th century. During this period, Jeyeong (stone carvings with poems) begins to be built, and rock cliff carvings different from a stone carving related to the records of Governor-general/royal secret inspectors, simple Jemyeong (a stone carved with a visitor's name) to inspire Confucian scholars with an academic atmosphere like one in Jijuam Sanjicheon or Jeaek (a named stone carving in a place or rock of the visit) appear. Rock cliff carvings of this type are continuously built in the 19th century. Yet, since the mid-19th century, rock cliff carvings tend to be built only limited to Jeju-mok again influenced by the reform of the administrative system in Jeju Region and repeated riots. Rock cliff carvings were exclusively led by the Jeju Governor-general in the 17th century and they were built by Jeju Judge, Daejeong and Jeongeui Prefectural Governors and exiles since the 18th century. In addition, rock cliff carvings were built by influential men as leading exponents in the 19th century. Building the carvings, which had been exclusively built by local officials or exiles since the early Joseon period, settled as a cultural phenomenon in which Jeju residents emerged as leading figures in the 19th century. Through this, the historic values and significances of rock cliff carvings in Jeju Region in the late Joseon period can be suggested as follows: First, most of the rock cliff carvings in were the outcomes of the custom of traveling to beautiful scenery, a vogue among noblemen in Joseon Dynasty and the special official duties of the Jeju Governor-general equivalent to those of the provincial governors. Second, the rock cliff carvings show an aspect of the ruling system of the time in Jeju Region. Third, they also show the composition and size of the persons following the provincial governor appointed to Jeju. Fourth, they provide historical materials through which the whereabouts of the persons who had influenced the center and Jeju community in the late Joseon period could be traced. Fifth, they reflect the form of politics at the center under faction politics and the reign of potentates in the late Joseon period. Sixth, through them, the royal policy of governing the people based on Confucianism. Lastly, they show the process in which the culture of the center flowed in and extended to Jeju Region. In the meantime, for the advancement of the study of local histories, a more detailed study on the military officers whom Jeju Governor-general asked the King to bring is necessary. In addition, finding the significances of the rock cliff carvings from the cultural point of view remains a task in the study of those in the Jeju Region during the late Joseon period.