Intangible Culture ISSN:2799-3868(Print) 무형문화연구

This essay looks at the musical performance characteristics and composition of samhoehyang (三回向), a performance that serves as a causal and entertaining social gathering following a large food-offering ritual within the context of gyeongje (京制) Buddhist music. The first part of samhoehyang, the hoehyang homily, is a traditional style of talk–singing with its own specific musical characteristics that, similar to pansori, combines both homily (narrative) and folk-style Buddhist chanting (sound), for the purpose of proselytizing Buddhist doctrine. Hoehyang homily appeals to the sensibilities of the masses in order to transmit Buddhist doctrine in an entertaining manner while enabling for the open expression of emotions and other content that had been difficult to express through food-offering rituals. Additionally, it appears that the next stage of the samhoehyang, the prayer and well-wishing stage (chugwondeokdam祝願德談), incorporated the traditions of both gosa (告祀) Buddhist chanting and hwacheong (和請) Buddhist chanting, indicating that folk-style chanting was actively used within this ritual. That is, samhoehyang utilized (folk-style) Buddhist chanting practices that reflected the musical tastes of the masses and their needs. In this way, it effectively transmitted the teachings of the Buddha. In the third stage, which is the dancing stage, participants performed lively and exciting Buddhist dances and other dances that in some way conformed to a Buddhist worldview. The accompanying music also aligned with popular taste, providing participants with a rousing experience that expressed the joy and gratitude for the large food-offering ritual. The fourth stage, the japui (雜戲) stage, is the highlight of samhoehyang; all of the attendees participate, and it offers an enjoyable release through music following the difficult work of the food-offering ritual. The musical particularity of this performance is that it centers on popular folk music, indicating that the folk performances of Korean mask dances, which continue to be passed down to this day, were formerly performed at temples as a part of samhoehyang. In the final stage of the samhoehyang, the gathering comes to a calm conclusion through the acts of pagoda-circling (tapdori탑돌이) as a means of making prayers for wishes and reciting a transfer of merit (hoehyang). Moreover, it appears that pagoda-circling involved the combination of both folk songs (the Gyeonggi folk song “Tapdori”) and Buddhist chanting. In this way, it offers a glimpse into the essence of Buddhist folk games that included the common people. This paper confirms that samhoehyang, which belongs to gyeonje-style Buddhist music, was a Buddhist folk game that offered a fun and exciting social gathering that included common folk following a large food-offering ritual. Moreover, when considering the overall musical characteristics of samhoehyang, the first stage functions as a beginning via talk–singing. The second and third stages, which are the prayer and well-wishing stage and the dancing stages, respectively, bring excitement to the performance. The fourth stage, the japui stage, is the climax of the event, and the fifth stage, the transfer of merit stage, offers a conclusion. In this way, its composition has a beginning, a development, and an ending. Gyeongje-style samhoehyang is of great significance, as it capture the history of Buddhist folk games from the kiak (伎樂) of the Three Kingdoms period to the sandae japui (山臺雜戲) of Goryeo and the samhoehyang of the Choseon dynasty.