Confucianism and Shamanism in the middle Koryŏ period: dynamics of a clash

Abstract

This article analyzes the situation of Korean folk native religion, commonly described by the umbrella term "shamanism," during the middle and second part of the Koryŏ period. The study attempts to expand and correct some basic assumptions of the work of Lee Seog-Ju (2010), who described the dialectic existing between the Confucian elite, the royal house, Buddhism and shamanism in the Koryŏ, correcting as mentioned some of the author's historical assumptions. Specifically, consideration will be given to: the pervasiveness of the doctrine in the external help of bodhisattvas in medieval Korea as noted by Yung Sung-chan (2016); the existence of syncretism between Confucian and Buddhist doctrines, noted by Kim Jongmyung (2016) and Vermeersch (2020); the syncretic nature of shamanism in relation to Buddhism, noted by multiple authors such as Grayson (1992) and McBride (2007); and finally, the importance of shamanism in pre-existing national rituals such as the Assembly of Eight Prohibitions, emphasized by Vermeersch (2007). The thesis of this article is demonstrate how the clash with shamanism by Koryŏ Confucian intellectuals was due not so much to a supposed deviation from Confucian orthodoxy by the native religion, but to its non-adherence to the canons of the rituals of State Buddhism. The paper will proceed according to the following pattern: first, the society of the Koryŏ kingdom will be briefly analyzed in its religious, cultural, social and political aspects, then a description of the relationship between the two actors in the field, namely shamanism and Confucianism in relation to Buddhism, will be given, and finally the conclusions of the study will be provided.