In celebration of Buddha’s Birthday, the “Exhibition of the Buddhist Hanging Scroll for Outdoor Rituals from Naesosa Temple” was arranged to afford the general public a rare opportunity to see cultural assets owned by Buddhist temples. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a Buddhist hanging scroll 9.95m high being presented in cooperation with Naesosa Temple in Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province.

Buddhist hanging scrolls from the Joseon Dynasty can only be exhibited in certain spaces because of their sheer enormity. The National Museum of Korea (NMK) set up a Buddhist hanging scroll exhibition space about 15m high in the Buddhist Paintings room of the Calligraphy and Painting Gallery. The NMK holds a Buddhist hanging scroll exhibition on the occasion of Buddha’s Birthday every year. This exhibition is the seventh since the “Buddhist Hanging Scroll for Outdoor Rituals from Cheonggoksa Temple: A Large Buddhist Painting Travels Outside of a Buddhist Sanctuary” in 2006.

Buddhist hanging scrolls are Buddhist paintings for Buddhist rituals that are hung on flagpole supports in front of a Buddhist sanctuary on days when huge crowds gather. One such occasion is Buddha’s Birthday. Buddhist rituals were held to overcome the sufferings of life through the strength of Buddha such as disease, hunger, war, and natural disaster. Large Buddhist hanging scrolls were hung so that many people could see them from a distance, especially during rituals held to pray for the rebirth of the spirits of the dead in heaven.

The Buddhist hanging scroll for outdoor rituals from Naesosa Temple was done in June 1700. At the center is Shakyamuni Buddha, encircled by six Bodhisattvas and Buddhas in an oval arrangement. This Buddhist hanging scroll has a red border to the left and right of the aureola. Gold paint was used to write down each of the Buddha’s names, thus making this scroll valuable for research on the iconography of Buddhist hanging scrolls in the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty. This iconography is based on 『Beophwagyeong』 (the Lotus Sutra) and conforms to the figures named in the list of Buddhas included in the Yeongsanhoe ritual manual that was published in those times. This iconography, therefore, has great significance in that it is based on a Buddhist ritual manual.

On the bottom of the Buddhist hanging scroll is a list of the names of 49 people who made donations for the creation of the hanging scroll. Of special interest to us are the names of the Gwak brothers from Posan. The main donor, Gwak Seon-heung, is recorded in his genealogy as having passed away on July 6, 1679. It is presumed that the hanging scroll was done in June 1700 by the family and relatives of the deceased first son, Seon-heung, so that the deceased could be guided to heaven.

As one of the first Buddhist hanging scrolls to be produced in the 18th century, the Buddhist hanging scroll from Naesosa Temple is an important work that enables us to understand the aspects of Buddhist hanging scrolls of the 18th century. The “Buddhist Hanging Scroll for Outdoor Rituals from Naesosa Temple”, which embodies the wishes of the people of Joseon, represents an opportunity for the general public to become more familiar with Buddhist culture.