Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

With its starting point Joseon Buddhism Monthly Journal published in 1912, about 20~30 modern Buddhist journals have been created and known. Among them, the long-time published journal with the most stable foundation would be Bulgyo (Buddhism), published from July 1924 to July 1933, with a total 108 volumes. Buddhism was composed of historic, cultural, and literary contents other than ideological discourse, showing the character of a general journal. Following exploration of the previous studies on the literature field of Buddhism in the 1920’s, this study investigated the subject and power of a literature field in the 1930’s. The main targets were representative editors, associated personnel and reporters. They did not only conduct administrational works but acted as the subjects to form a literature field as well. In fact, they played an initiative role in embodying a literature field through creating literary works in reality. This study explores the new section created by Han Yong‐un (Manhae), the editor who put his own poem in the beginning of the journal, adding a character of literature journal, and also the literary men he introduced through the section. During this process, about 40 new poets from monastic schools or professional schools made their debut through the section 'Buddhist Poems'. Han Yong‐un was the center of this change. In addition, former and present reporters including Kim Tae‐heup, Doh Jin‐ho, Kim Il‐yeop, Ahn Jin‐ho, etc., were active in various types of literary fields such as poetry, travelogues, essays, plays, novels and legendary stories, and they expanded the horizons of Buddhist literature. At the end of the 1920’s, their works substituted those of general writers and heralded the tendency of reinforcing religiosity and contemporaneity in literature in the 1930’s