Buljoyeokdaetongjae

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2198

Category

Books & Records

Era

1472년(성종 3)

Designated year

2022

Location

종로구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 종로구 사직로9길 15-14 (사직동, 종로도서관)

Coordinates

37.576450, 126.966467Kakao address conversion

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

The 'Buddha Patriarch Chronicle (Buddhapatriarch Chronicles), 22 fascicles in 14 volumes' held by Jongno Library is one of 30 printed copies made in 1472 (the 3rd year of King Seongjong) by the command of Queen Insu using woodblocks carved and reprinted in Korea, based on the Ming Dynasty edition of 1430. Though rebound and repaired in later periods and separated into individual fascicles, the complete set of all volumes remains intact. The 'Buddha Patriarch Chronicle' is a Buddhist historical text compiled by Yuan dynasty monk Nian Chang (念常, 1282-) in annalistic style, recording the biographies and anecdotes of eminent monks from the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha to 1334. Jongno Library, Korea's first public library established in 1920 under Korean leadership, houses this copy which features two prefaces, precedents, and a table of contents at the beginning of Volume 1, including a preface written by Wu Jifu on June 11, 1341 and another by Jue An in March 1344. The main text concludes with postscripts by Ben Wu written in October 1343, followed by colophons by Zheng Yin and Shou Zhong. At the end appears a colophon by Kim Su-on (金守溫, 1409-1481) printed in small Gapinjaso characters (甲寅小字) in early June 1472, confirming the work was reprinted in Joseon during the 15th century based on the Yuan original. Kim Su-on's colophon records that Queen Insu sponsored the publication to pray for the repose of Kings Sejo, Yejong, and Prince Euigyeong, and for the longevity of royal consorts including Queen Jeong-hee. The designated item represents not only a complete set with all volumes intact but also one of only two examples confirmed in Korea to date, embodying both material completeness and rarity. The other copy was designated as Treasure in November 1982. With the printing information of Kim Su-on's colophon in Gapinjaso characters from June 1472 (lunar) fully preserved, this work serves as primary source material for diagnosing the historical-cultural nature of the woodblock printing project and enabling restoration of those woodblocks. Jongno Library's copy of the 'Buddha Patriarch Chronicle' stands out for its rarity as a complete 22-fascicle, 14-volume set transmitted through to the present, exemplifying royal Buddhist faith of early Joseon, printing trends of Buddhist sutras, the status of domestic woodblock collections, and serving as an important reference for Buddhist historical studies given the scarcity of research materials on Buddhism of that era.

Location