Daeseunggisinronuigi Gwonsang, Ha

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1663

Category

Books & Records

Era

14세기

Designated year

2010

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.576571, 126.974851

This is an annotated commentary on Mahayana sraddhotpada Sastra (Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana) by the Tang-dynasty monk Fanzang (643-712). This woodblock-printed edition, published in late Goryeo, consists of two volumes. The first volume has the title Daseung gisinnon uigi Gwon Sang (Notes on the Meaning of the Mahayana sraddhotpada Sastra, Volume I), with the word “byeongseo (parallel text)” written below it. Beneath it is information about the author which reads: Seodaewonsa samun beopjangsul (Commentary Written by a Monk of Seodaewonsa Temple). As for the layout of the book, the fold between two pages has a fish tail design against a black backdrop, only at its upper half, along with the title “Uigi” and the volume number and the sheet number. The pages are surrounded by a single black line along the four edges, and there is no line dividing the lines of the text. Each page contains nine vertical rows of twenty characters. This type of layout is frequently seen in woodblock-printed books from late Goryeo. The text has gugyeol (oral formula) markings, and the cover page of the first volume was added at a later time to replace the damaged original cover page. There is no postscript or publishing information at the end of the book. But, judging from the type of woodblocks used and the overall quality of printing, this book appears to have been carved based on a manuscript specially written for the purpose. The book also has a bopan (additional prints made for cases where a printed book has missing elements) and is likely to date from sometime in late Goryeo. This late Goryeo book is exemplary of the typical style of Goryeo-period woodblock-printed books, and as the only copy of a thus far unknown publication, is quite inestimable in value. It also holds high significance for the study of the history of Buddhism and ancient book editions.

Location