The “Three National Treasures of Silla (新羅三寶)” and Their Transfer: The Symbol of the Unification of the Koryŏ Dynasty
Journal Title: International Journal of Korean History - Year 2017, Vol 22, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper explores the significance of the three national treasures of Silla (Silla sambo) in the history of Koryŏ through analyzing the significance of the Three National Treasures of Silla. There are the three national in Silla—a sixteen-foot bronze Buddha statue and a nine-tiered pagoda at Hwangnyong Temple, and the jade belt bestowed by the heavens. These are made from the time of King Chinhŭng to the time of Queen Sŏndŏk. Moreover, these treasures came to occupy the status of treasures that protect the nation, as the mere existence of the treasures was able to persuade the “king of Koryŏ” to abandon his plan to attach Silla. As a result, the treasures were made by the kings of the “sacred bone” sŏng’gol with the Buddhist background, and again, the treasures added to power and authority to the “sacred bone” sŏng’gol family, so the treasure 'Sambo' became a symbol of the nation. The stories that demonstrate the miraculous powers of the three national treasures of Silla appear in the legends of the nine-tiered pagoda of Hwangnyong Temple and of the jade belt. And it is correct to understand that the “king of Koryŏ” mentioned in these stories is a “king of Koguryŏ” rather than Wang Kŏn, the founder of the Koryŏ dynasty. Above all, it is important to take into consideration the fact that the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms was compiled in the Koryŏ dynasty. Therefore in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, Koryŏ is consistently referred to as “this dynasty” and Wang Kŏn as “T'aejo.” Such circumstances eliminate the possibility that T'aejo would have been referred to as simply the “king of Koryŏ.” T'aejo Wang Kŏn, who was aware of the need for and had the will to unify the then-divided three kingdoms, or Samhan, showed interest in the three treasures of Silla. Then in 935 and 937, the three treasures were handed over to Wang Kŏn after Silla's surrender and through Kim Pu's presentation of the jade belt to T'aejo. And in 936, T'aejo achieved the “unification of Samhan.” In the end, the transfer of 'the treasures' is the 'gift' of Silla, which means that Koryŏ inherited the legitimacy of Silla through the achievement of the unification of the Three Kingdoms.
Authors and Affiliations
Bo-kwang Kim
Keywords
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- EP ID EP26448
- DOI https://doi.org/10.22372/ijkh.2017.22.1.139
- Views 347
- Downloads 17
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