[Illustration: PLATE I
Kim Ku Ha, President of Buddhist Committee for 1917
[Page 35]]
KOREAN
BUDDHISM
HISTORY—CONDITION—ART
_Three Lectures_
BY
FREDERICK STARR
BOSTON
MARSHALL JONES COMPANY
1918
COPYRIGHT, 1918
BY MARSHALL JONES COMPANY
_All rights reserved_
PRINTED BY
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.
THIS BOOK ON KOREAN BUDDHISM IS
_Dedicated_
TO
MY FRIEND AND FELLOW-STUDENT
“KUGEN”—OGURI SAN
OF TOKYO
INTRODUCTION
The author does not over-estimate the importance of this little book: it
is nothing more than its title claims. It consists of three lectures
given to popular audiences, with the accompaniment of many
illustrations. It represents, however, a considerable amount of work in
an almost virgin field. It has involved hard journeys to remote mountain
monasteries, and days and nights of conversation and inquiry with many
monks and priests. It is not, however, a profound study nor an
exhaustive presentation. It barely touches many a subject, which would
alone furnish more material than could be treated in three such
lectures. It but scratches the surface.
The material which it presents is however new. Outside of Mrs. Bishop’s
account of her visit to the Diamond Mountain monasteries and scattered
references in her book to a few local temples, there is almost nothing
on the subject of Korean Buddhism accessible to English readers. A
glance at our bibliography will show that not one of the books or
articles there listed appeared in the West. All were printed at Seoul,
Shanghai and Tokyo and publications appearing at those centers are
little known outside. To aid serious readers, who may care to secure
them, the publishers’ names are given in our list. The author has
carefully read all the items listed and acknowledges indebtedness to all
the authors.
The actual amount of material for the full study of Korean Buddhism is
enormous. There are many voluminous works in Chinese and Korean dealing
with Korean history; when carefully sifted, these will yield many
important facts. Many, perhaps all, of the monasteries have records of
their history somewhat after the nature of annals; most of these are in
manuscript, but a few have been printed, presumably from wood-blocks cut
at the establishment by the monks. There is a third source of
information, as vast in bulk as either of the other two; it is the
inscriptions on monuments, which are scattered in thousands over the
peninsula. The gleaning of information from these three sources—for the
work must absolutely be of the nature of gleaning—will require many
years, but the work is worth the doing. It is urgent also. Every one of
these three sources is subject to destruction and even now is
threatened. Old books in Korea are being constantly lost and destroyed;
new editions of them are often carelessly and inaccurately reproduced;
in some cases, the new editions are intentionally mutilated, important
passages being suppressed. The monastery records are less secure than
ever before; with the new life and energy in these old establishments,
renovation and clearing out of nooks and corners and overhauling of
accumulations of papers, places documents, the value of which is unknown
or unappreciated, in serious jeopardy. As for the monuments many are
disappearing and others are becoming undecipherable through weathering.
There is pressing need then of promptly securing these materials and
making them available for study.
The Japanese are doing much good work. They are gathering old books and
records. Up to 1915 more than one hundred and fifty thousand books,
manuscript and printed, had been gathered by the Government-General.
Among these were the “Annals of Yi” numbering sixteen hundred and
thirty-three volumes and the “Royal Diaries,” aggregating thirty-one
hundred and ninety-nine volumes, “all hand-written with the brush.” Of
the “Annals” there were four sets made under the Korean government for
the four old royal libraries. The “Royal Diaries” were compiled at the
king’s orders; they dated from Yi Tajo himself, but those up to near the
end of the sixteenth century were burned by the Koreans at the time of
the Hideyoshi invasion; those now existing cover the period from 1623 to
1907. Japanese scholars have organized a society for reprinting old and
rare Korean books and have gotten out many volumes. They are piling up
direct observations also. From 1909 to 1915, they conducted a
peninsula-wide survey of ancient monuments and have printed the results
in four fine volumes, with splendid illustrations, under the title
_Chosen ko seki gafu_. They have taken steps toward the preservation
and, where necessary, the reconstruction of important monuments and
notable buildings. They are copying the monastery records and ultimately
will have a complete set of all that remain. The originals ought to be
left in possession of the monasteries themselves, with the obligation to
guard and keep them safely. As to monumental inscriptions, the
Government-General has been equally industrious. Up to March, 1915,
there had been made thirteen hundred and seventy-seven direct rubbings
from inscribed stones, of which forty-four represented Sylla,
forty-three the period of the Koryu Dynasty and thirteen hundred and
three the Yi Dynasty. It is fortunate that this preservation of material
is being undertaken. The world will profit by it, though it may still be
long locked up in Chinese characters.
In this book the work of Yi Nung Hwa is mentioned. His Buddhist magazine
should yield some data of value. If his History of Korean Buddhism is
printed it ought to be of high importance, as he naturally has a much
easier task in consulting the original sources than any foreigner. If
his work is done with care and critical judgment it should be the
necessary foundation for all future study. All depends upon how he
performs his task. Readers who become interested in our lectures are
advised to read Bishop Trollope’s admirable _Introduction_. It clears
the ground and indicates the direction of further studies.
The author has hundreds of negatives illustrating Korean Buddhism. One
hundred and fifty pictures were used in the original lectures. When
cutting down to what seemed the absolute limit, in selecting pictures
for the book, he found that he had more than double the number permitted
by the necessary conditions. Further reduction was difficult and many
pictures have been rejected, which are more beautiful or interesting
than some of those that are included. The final choice was based upon
the desire to give as clear an idea as possible of actual conditions and
to represent all the important phases presented in the lectures. One or
two of the pictures were made by Manuel Gonzales in 1911; all the others
are the work of Maebashi Hambei, who accompanied me, in my last three
expeditions to Korea, as photographer.
Chicago, July 12, 1918.