사천왕상(四天王像)은 가장 중요한 불교도상 가운데 하나이다. 특히 대승불교권 가운데 불교를 신봉하는 국가에서의 사천왕상은 특별한 의미를 가진다. 국가를 수호하고 모든 재난을 소멸시키고 일체의 원적들을 물리치는 국가적 수호자이기 때문이다. 뿐만 아니라 호국신앙의 결정체인 사천왕상은 호국은 물론 불법(佛法)을 외호하고 부처님을 지켜주는 역할을 담당하기도 해서 더욱 크게 중요시 되었다.
사천왕이 우리나라에 수용된 것은 삼국시대인데 초기에는 제석신앙과 함께 들어 왔지만 삼국통일기에는 독자적으로 개성있게 발전되어 성황을 이루기 시작했다고 믿어진다. 통일기부터 많은 사천왕상이 공예(사리기 등)에 묘사되거나 탑에 부조로 새기거나 조각이나 회화로 조성된 예들이 상당히 많이 현존하기 때문이다. 이러한 사천왕상 가운데 신라시대에 있어서 호국과 호법(護法)에 충실했던 가장 영험했던 상이 수용기의 사천왕사(四天王寺) 사천왕상과 절정기의 토함산 석굴 사천왕상이라 할 수 있다. 이들 중 사천왕사 사천왕상은 현존하지 않고 있으나 그 대신 사천왕상의 직속 장수인 팔부중상 또는 8 부 신장상은 남아있고 탑지에서 3 종 8 부중상이 출토되어 이 상이 8부중상인지 사천왕상인지에 대한 논의가 현안의 과제로 부각되고 있다. 이와 함께 토함산 석굴 사천왕상과 그 권속인 8 부중상이 현재도 잘 남아 있어서 크게 중요시 되고 있다.
여기서는 현존하지 않는 사천왕상과 현존하고 있는 사천왕상 등 두 사천왕상에 대해서 먼저 그 조성배경을 밝힌 후 일반적인 사천왕상이 삼국시대에 우리나라에 수용되었다는 사실을 간략히 살펴보았다. 아울러 팔부중상에 대해서도 함께 논의하였는데 사천왕사 목탑의 발굴에 의하여 밝혀진 24 구의 신중상은 사천왕 8 부중으로서 3 종 8 부중이라는 사실을 밝히게 되었다. 이 사천왕사 4 천왕 8 부중상을 계승하고 더 진전시킨 토함산 석굴암 사천왕상과 팔부중상은 석굴의 불상을 외호하는 사천왕상과 불타 8 부중상이라는 사실 또한 밝힌 것이다.
As the excavation of the ruins of Sacheonwang Temple for years have been finished meanwhile, discussion about whether the godly figures found from the base of a wooden pagoda in the temple are 8 Devas, 4 Guardian Kings, or Godly Kings of Gwanjeonggyeong rises again. That is to say, it has risen as one of the most important core issues in the study of the history of ancient sculpture. In contrast, the statues of 4 Guardian Kings in Soekguram attracts great attention as they are taken to have been built at the stage of completion, and to be representative figures at the stage where the iconographic characteristics of 8 Buddha Devas beyond the status of 4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas including those in Hwangryong Temple and Cheonwang Temple. Thus, this article tries to clarify several points about the importance of those figures in the development of statues of 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas in Korea First, the background of the creation of the statues of 4 Guardian Kings. We can tell that sorts and characteristics of 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas originated from Jangahamgyeong, a version of Ahamgyeong, Geumgwangmyeonggyeng succeeds 4Guardian Kings and 8 Buddha Devas, and both Geumgangmyeonggyeongso and Inwanggyeongso of Giljang succeed the 4 Guardian Kings and 4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas as well as 8 Buddha Devas of Jangahamgyeong. In addition,Gwanjeonggyeong and Gwanbulsammaehaegyeong also made great contribution to the foundation and development of the statues of 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas.
Second, as for the system of Sinjung, in particular Mahayana Buddhism, i.e. so called Sect Buddhism, maintains the system of Indra, 4 Guardian Kings, 8 Devas (4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas and 8 Buddha Devas), and Gwijol, which Sacheonwang Temple is completely equipped with.
Third, given that 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas originated from India, were imported into Si-Yu and China, and were introduced into Korea, it is found out that figures of warriors also originated from the Gandhara Region at Northwest India, were imported into Si-Yu and then into China, and fully bloomed in Korea.
Fourth, it is shown that Sacheonwang Temple is a representative example of a temple equipped with the system of Sinjung with Indra and its dependents, the statues excavated from the base of the pagoda are not 4 Guardian Kings but 3 kinds of 8 Devas despite the requirement of the system of Sinjung that only 4 Guardian Kings exist, and that they are 4-Guardian-Kings-&-8-Devas, an early form of 8 Deva figures along with the 8 Devas on the Serira ware at Hwangryong Temple.
Fifth, compared with these, it is found out that the 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Devas at Seokguram are developed from the 4 Guardian Kings and 8 Buddha Devas advanced from those at Sacheonwang Temple.
Sixth, the Iconography of the 4 Guardian Kings at Seokguram features Gye-in, a unique Mudra, which is clear from what Daranijipgyeong states in detail. Of course, though the Mudra of Bongbotap of Bukbangdamunchoen existed much earlier than Daranijipgyeong,we can assume that it is a result of the oral transmission of the iconography of 4 Guardian Kings compiled as icons in India’s Daranijipgyeong style books originating because they are in charge of external protection of the Serira of the Pagoda of Bisamucheon, a kind of Damuncheon.
Seventh, this article clarifies the fact that the iconography of Seokguram’s statues of 8Devas, as a universal iconography based on statues of 8 Buddha Devas, is the first example of the iconography of the figures of 8 Buddha Devas in earnest, and we can say that it has great significance as the root of figures of 8 Buddha Devas found from bases of pagodas.
As for the iconographic characteristics, this article shows that they are expected to make great contribution to the study of East Asian Buddhist Iconographies as they are unique iconographies created by Silla on the basis of the iconographies of Esoteric Buddhism like Gwaneumeuiso or Seopmuaegyeong and also with reference to numerous iconographies from the perspective of Sect Buddhism.
