서울 관우(關羽) 동묘(東廟) 정전(正殿) 내부 대련(對聯)의 역사적 배경과 문화적 의미

초록

Seoul’s Dongmyo Shrine dedicated to Guan Yu is a shrine commemorating the spirit of Guan Yu, one of the heroic figures of the Later Han period in Chinese history. Within the entire precinct of Dongmyo Shrine, there are a total of fifty-one plaques and couplets. In the Main Hall, eight pairs of couplets, consisting of sixteen panels, are hung inside the hall, while six pairs, consisting of twelve panels, are hung outside. The purposes of this study are as follows. First, it identifies the locations of the couplets hung inside the Main Hall of Seoul’s Dongmyo Shrine and transcribes their Chinese characters. Second, it translates and explains the contents of the couplets. Third, it corrects the positions of the upper and lower lines of couplets that have been improperly hung. Fourth, it determines the dates of their production. Fifth, it investigates the writers of the couplets and their historical activities. Sixth, it elucidates the historical background of the couplets and the cultural meanings embedded in them. The couplets of Dongmyo Shrine possess the following characteristics and historical-cultural significance. First, except for the couplet written by Zheng Long, a Ming envoy, most of the plaques and couplets were produced during the reign of King Gojong of Joseon, particularly in connection with the Imo Military Revolt of 1882 and the Gapsin Coup of 1884. Second, the calligraphers and authors of these plaques and couplets included King Gojong of Joseon, Ming envoys who came to Joseon shortly before the Manchu invasion of 1636 and the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, and Qing military commanders who entered Joseon in response to the Imo Military Revolt. Third, through the production of couplets honoring Guan Yu, the Ming envoys emphasized Guan Yu’s righteousness and loyalty in order to contain the Later Jin and to request Joseon’s cooperation and support. Fourth, through the same commemorative practice, the Qing military commanders displayed and justified their achievements in suppressing the Imo Military Revolt and the Gapsin Coup, while engaging in a form of cultural propaganda aimed at placing Joseon under more direct Qing control. Fifth, the contents of the couplets were based not primarily on the historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms, but rather on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

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