Goryeo's incense culture thurible, 고려의 향문화와 향로

향을 피우는 행위는 불교 의례나 관습에서 유래되었으나 점차 일상의 습속(習俗)이 되어 향문화를 형성하였다. 
The act of burning incense originated from Buddhist rituals and customs, but gradually became a daily custom and formed the incense culture.

The Goryeo dynasty :
The Goryeo dynasty (also spelled as Koryo) was a Korean dynasty that ruled from 918 to 1392. It was founded by King Taejo, who was originally a military commander named Wang Geon.

Buddhism and Culture :
The Goryeo dynasty saw the flourishing of Buddhism, which had a significant influence on the culture, art, and architecture of the time. Many impressive Buddhist temples and pagodas were constructed during this period, with some, like the Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, being designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

고려는 종교나 국가적인 의례 외에도 일상 속에서 향을 폭넓게 향유하였는데, 특히 고려의 문인들은 연거분향을 통해 삶의 고아한 정취를 즐겼다. 이러한 분위기는 동아시아 향문화의 일환으로 분향방식 역시 동시기 중국과 같은 방식을 공유하였는데, 이는 고려 문인들의 문집을 통해 확인할 수 있다. 
Goryeo widely enjoyed incense in everyday life besides religious or national ceremonies. This atmosphere, as part of East Asian incense culture, also shared the same method as contemporary China, which can be confirmed through the collections of Goryeo writers.

동제 ‘정화(正和) 8년’명 향로, 고려(1118) 높이 14.4㎝, 지름 14.4㎝ (국립중앙박물관(신수 10147))

청자 투각 ‘만(卍)’자문 향로, 고려, 높이 10.5㎝, 입지름 8.6㎝(국립 중앙박물관(본관 2001))

분향방식은 향로의 크기나 형태 등에 영향을 주었는데, 일상화된 분향 문화에 적합한 간소화된 소형의 향로들이 널리 사용되었다. 대표적인 소형 향로로 배(杯) 형태의 향완이 대표적이다.
향완은 종교적 용도의 금속제 거향로로 인식되어 왔지만, 송대에는 소형 향완이 도자로 활발히 제작되면서 일상에서도 널리 사용되었다. 
The incense burner influenced the size and shape of the incense burner, and small, simplified incense burners suitable for the daily incense burning culture were widely used. A typical small incense burner is a pear-shaped incense burner.
The incense burner has been recognized as a metal incense burner for religious purposes, but in the Song Dynasty, as small incense burners were actively made of ceramics, they were widely used in everyday life.

송과 같은 향문화, 분향방식을 공유했던 고려에서도 도자 향완에 대한 수요가 점차 증가하였다. 
Demand for ceramic incense burners gradually increased in Goryeo, which shared the same incense culture and incense method as Song dynasty

Song dynasty:
Wade-Giles romanization Sung, (960–1279), 
Chinese dynasty that ruled the country during one of its most brilliant cultural epochs. It is commonly divided into Bei (Northern) and Nan (Southern) Song periods, as the dynasty ruled only in South China after 1127.

이는 개경에서 발견된 다수의 송대 백자향완, 그와 유사한 형태로 제작된 고려의 청자향완들을 통해 확인할 수 있다.
This can be confirmed through a number of Song Dynasty white porcelain incense burners found in Gaegyeong and Goryeo celadon incense burners made in a similar form.

‘함평궁주방’명 청동 은입사 향완, 고려(1211~1247), 높이 23.3㎝ (국립중앙박물관(덕수 2375)

분청사기 ‘목천서만(木川徐万)’ 명 향환, 15세기, 양주 회암사지 출토, 입지름 19.8㎝(국립중앙박물관(신수28719)

12~13세기에 제작된 청자 향완은 고려 내부의 적극적인 수요를 충당하기 위해 제작된 것으로 이해할 수 있기 때문이다. 
특히 이 시기에는 중국 백자향완과 유사한 형태의 청자향완 외에도 금속기를 모방하거나 고려청자의 기법과 문양을 적극적으로 반영한 고려만의 청자향완들이 제작되었다는 점도 주목할 만하다.
This is because it can be understood that celadon incense burners produced in the 12th and 13th centuries were produced to meet the active demand within Goryeo.
In particular, it is worth noting that during this period, in addition to celadon incense burners similar to Chinese white porcelain incense burners, Goryeo-pecific celadon incense burners imitating metalware or actively reflecting the techniques and patterns of Goryeo celadon were produced.

고려시대 향로는 기본적으로 각종 의례·의식의 필수품이었지만, 개인 향문화의 확산으로 아취를 위한 기호품으로도 사용되었다. 금속제 향로나 고급 청자 향로들이 주로 국가나 종교의 의례·의식에 사용되었다면, 비교적 생산이 용이한 간소화된 도자 향로는 개인적인 수요에 부응하며 향문화의 확산에 기여했던 것으로 여겨진다In the Goryeo Dynasty, the incense burner was basically a necessity for various ceremonies and ceremonies, but it was also used as a favorite item for aphrodisiac due to the spread of personal incense culture. 
If metal incense burners or high-uality celadon incense burners were mainly used for national or religious ceremonies, simplified ceramic incense burners, which are relatively easy to produce, are considered to have contributed to the spread of incense culture by meeting individual needs.

향을 피우는 행위는 불교 의례나 관습에서 유래 되었으나 점차 고려 일상의 습속(習俗)이 되었다. 
특히 고려의 문인들은 연거분향을 통해 삶의 고아한 정취를 즐겼는데, 이러한 분위기는 동아시아가 공유하는 향문화의 일환이었다. 고려 문집을 통해 고려에서 격화훈향, 전향법 등의 분향 방식이 사용되었음을 확인할 수 있었다The act of burning incense originated from Buddhist rituals and customs, but gradually became a daily custom in Goryeo.
In particular, Goryeo writers enjoyed the elegant mood of life through burning incense, and this atmosphere was part of the incense culture shared by East Asia. Through the Goryeo Anthology, it was confirmed that incense incense, such as burning incense and burning incense, were used in Goryeo.

고려시대 향로는 기본적으로 각종 의례·의식의 필수품이었지만, 개인 향문화의 확산으로 점차 아취를 위한 기호품으로 널리 사용되었다. 
금속제 향로나 고급 청자 향로들이 주로 국가나 종교의례에 사용되었다면, 비교적 생산이 용이했던 도자 향로는 개인적인 수요에 부응하며 개인적 향문화의 확산에 기여하였다
In the Goryeo Dynasty, the incense burner was basically a necessity for various ceremonies and ceremonies, but with the spread of personal incense culture, it gradually became widely used as a favorite item for aphrodisiac.
If metal incense burners or high-uality celadon incense burners were mainly used for national or religious ceremonies, ceramic incense burners, which were relatively easy to produce, contributed to the spread of personal incense culture by meeting individual demand.

 

*The above text was excerptde
from the National Intangible Heritage Center of the Korea Cultural Heritage Administration.