A Study on the Ornamental System and Ritual Context of the Buddha Triad in Taegwangjŏn Hall of Sinhŭngsa Temple, Yangsan

In the late 17th century, Joseon Buddhist art exhibited a trend toward the standardization of ritual spaces alongside the establishment of the “Three-Altar” (Samdan) system. However, the Taegwangjŏn Hall of Sinhŭngsa Temple, reconstructed in 1657, follows a distinct trajectory that deviates from these prevailing norms. The spatial configuration of Sinhŭngsa’s Taegwangjŏn Hall at Sinhŭngsa Temple contrasts sharply with the contemporaneous Taegwangjŏn Hall of Pŏm’ŏsa Temple. While the altar was expanded to facilitate official rituals at Pŏm’ŏsa Temple, thereby obstructing the circumambulatory path, the altar at Sinhŭngsa Temple was confined within the inner high columns (goju). This design preserved the path for circumambulation (haengdo) and secured the entire wall surface as a pictorial space dedicated to the Buddha Triad. The origins of this layout can be traced back to the ritual traditions of early Joseon royal votive temples recorded in the Sariyŏngŭnggi (1449), specifically the visualization process of the “Buddha Triad Repentance” (Samburyech'am) and the “Threefold-Contemplation in One Mind” (Ilsimsamkwan).As 17th-century rituals transitioned from dynamic circumambulation to static “Offerings to the Buddha” (Gweongong), devotees’ physical movement within the hall diminished. Nevertheless, at Sinhŭngsa, the architectural structure induced a “mental circumambulation” by encouraging practitioners to traverse the sacred space through their gaze, guided by the murals on the east and west walls. In conclusion, the Taegwangjŏn Hall of Sinhŭngsa Temple holds significant art historical value as an integrated ritual space that visually preserved the legitimacy of the Buddha Triad faith inherited from the early Joseon period within a changing ritual environment.