Intangible Culture ISSN:2799-3868(Print) 무형문화연구

Dokseongdo is known as a Buddhist painting that depicts Dokseong, who attained enlightenment by himself. The exact identity of Dokseong is still being debated, and the research has not been sufficient. Not much research has been conducted on the faith of Dokseong because the information is not sufficiently available in the basic sutra, historical texts, literature, etc. In particular, research on the painting of Dokseong is almost nonexistent. This article first examines the origin of Dokseongdo based on the existing research, and organizes and classifies the style of the paintings focusing on the major works, which are known to have been created in the 19th century. Dokseong is an object of faith unique to Buddhism in Korea and cannot be found in India, China, Japan and other East Asian countries. There are no basic sutra or scriptures and historical texts that reveal his name or deeds, and the ritual text related to Nabanjonja is only passed down in Korea. Therefore, the existing research on Dokseong was mainly conducted by inquiring into the interaction of the Dokseong faith with folk beliefs. To summarize the findings of the existing research, there are theories that regard Dokseong as Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja, who is one of the 16 nahan, or that consider him to be Mahākāśyapaas or Dan’gun. There is even a theory that nahan erroneously became known as naban. Relatively recently, a theory was proposed that objects to the existing research and claims that Dokseong Nabanjonja does not refer to a specific person. According to this theory, Dokseong Nabanjonja refers to many monks who practice asceticism on Mount Tiantai. He is regarded as a being who changed from a person who meditated and attained enlightenment alone to someone who became a source of blessings for the people. The existing Dokseongdo began to be produced in the early 19th century and mass-produced in earnest after the mid-19th century. If major works whose dates have been confirmed and whose painting styles changed are classified chronologically, the pose of Dokseong, who faces the left side, the figure of a man with white hair and long eyebrows, pine trees, and the folktale style background are consistently found. As we move from the middle to the late Joseon period, it may be noted that the paintings generally became more complex as the number of objects, features, and people in the paintings increase. Moreover, the expressions of the light around the head and ushnisha have not been consistent for a century, and it may be presumed that the expressions of the light or the ushnisha were not based on stylistic changes in the period, but on the tastes of individual painters or art patrons. As noted above, Dokseong paintings and faith are cultural elements unique to Korean Buddhism, and hopefully, interest in the topic will increase, and research in various areas will be conducted more actively, including the relationship between the Dokseong and Samseong faiths, regional elements, and the comparison with nahan paintings.