조선전기 국왕 儀仗制度의 정비와 상징

Abstract

Ceremonial objects symbolize kings apart from subjects. In the West a single symbolic icon was used, but in the East Asia more icons were used for higer-ranked figures. Ceremonial objects for queens and princes were only parts of the ceremonial objects used for kings. This article examines the ceremonial objects used in National ceremonies held at the courtyard of the palace. In accordance with the general rules in the Confucian countries, ceremonial objects used in the royal processions were distinguished from those used in the courtyard ceremonies in Joseon. The special feature in Joseon was that they made the items in the two sets of ceremonial objects identical. The biggest set of ceremonial objects remained constitutively unchanged in Joseon. But the size of the ceremonial objects was made to differ depending on the ceremonies. Ceremonial objects were placed on the upper and lower podium in front of Geunjeongjeon at first, but the placement was expanded to the courtyard in Sejong’s reign. And the number of items was adjusted into three tiers. At the same time, ceremonial obejcts at the processions were also divided into three tiers, and the number of items was adjusted accordingly. Sejo made the items of the 3-tiered ceremonial objects at the ceremonies identical with those at the processions. By having the same constitutive items and the same tier structure of the ceremonial objects at the ceremonies and at the processions, they secured the consistency of the symbols and enhanced the convenience of the officials who supervised the ceremonial objects.