KOREAN HIGH ROYAL DECREES (4TH–19TH CENTURIES) AS A HISTORICAL SOURCE ON STATE POLICY TOWARD BUDDHISM

Phunthasane Phra Paron(JayānandoBhikkhu)

The article examines the Korean genre of High Royal Decrees (4th–19th centuries), the core legal instrument by which the throne governed the Buddhist saṅgha. Its aim is to trace the evolution of forms and functions of these decrees—from early legitimising edicts to the highly regulated Chosŏn-period system—and to assess their value as primary sources for the study of state religious policy. The methodology combines critical review of sixteen peer-reviewed studies with comparative-historical, palaeographic and discourse analysis. Results demonstrate that the terminological shift from myŏngji (命旨) to kyŏji (敎旨) and wanji (王旨) mirrors a transition from patronage to regulation; a clear inverse relationship is recorded between waves of Chosŏn restrictive decrees and the size of the temple network; and institutional continuities are traced from late-Chosŏn edicts through Japan’s 1911 Temple Ordinance to twentieth-century presidential acts. Palaeographic features of the Simyŏng jibo seal (施命之寶) authenticate kyŏji as documents of the highest legal rank. The findings provide a documentary basis for current disputes over temple property and offer comparative insights into state–religion models across East Asia.

Keywords:High Royal Decrees, Buddhism, Korea, Korean edicts, Sangha, Joseon period, Goryeo period, source studies, religious studies, Buddhist studies.