• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.57-66
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• 2022

Since the discovery of the inscriptions engraved with the "Chinese characters of Empress Wu(則天文字)" at 251 and 256-1, Seonjin-ri, Sacheon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do in 2003, researchers from the Gyeongnam Institute of Cultural Properties, Kwak Seung-Hoon, and Kim Chang-Gyeom have attempted to read and interpret the inscriptions. However, there are still different theories as to the origin of the "Chinese characters of Empress Wu" appearing in the inscriptions and the use of Idu(吏讀)-type notation. This study aims to clarify, this inscription was erected by the king of Silla in the late 7th and mid-8th centuries to commemorate his participation in the Sacheon and Jinju patrols and Buddhist activities, and it is revealed that the main character of the inscription is likely to be King Seongdeok who has visited southern countries. In addition, in the case of "上了言", which has been interpreted as a human name, it should be understood as an Idu-type notation or a 變體漢文 because of the use of the proposition 了, and it should be interpreted as a character that means the end of a specific act. Although it is not a religious text like 『Mugujeonggwangdaedaranigyeong (The Great Dharani Sutra)』, the reason why the "Chinese characters of Empress Wu(則天文字)" was used is that in the process of accepting the Huayan school, the royal family of Silla came into contact with the Buddhist scriptures of the period of the Empress Wu, which is closely related to the rise of the Huayan school in the Middle Ages, and it appears to have learned and used in this process.