Gendering a Bodhisattva: Images of Avalokiteshvara in Medieval and Early Modern Korea

Avalokiteshvara images in Korea, while adhering to traditional Buddhist artistic conventions, exhibit a different approach to gender than their Chinese counterparts, where the feminization of Avalokiteshvara is more explicitly evident. However, historical records such as <i>Samguk Yusa</i> 三國遺事 <i>and The Tale of Prince Anrakkuk</i> 安樂國太子傳, attest to the wide awareness of the femininity of Avalokiteshvara, which determined the identity, visual representation, functions, and roles of Avalokiteshvara images. While the paintings of Water-moon Avalokiteshvara from Mount Potalaka during the Koryŏ period emphasize masculine features in the depiction of the body, they were at times conflated with the femininity that was characteristic of the White-robed Avalokiteshvara, a result of the popular Avalokiteshvara cult at Naksan. This dual visual representation of Water-moon Avalokiteshvara invites more careful interpretation through a gender perspective. In contrast, writings by contemporary literati portray the White-robed Avalokiteshvara as distinctly feminine and characterized by modest and serene features. Additionally, with the spread of esoteric rituals and the circulation of <i>Thousand-hand Sutra</i> (<i>Ch'ŏnsugyŏng</i> 千手經), the roles of Water-moon Avalokiteshvara and Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara expanded, becoming symbols of motherhood that bestowed and protected children. Avalokiteshvara images of medieval and early modern Korea embodied a range of gender identities and meanings, reaflecting the complex interplay of masculinity and femininity in their religious and cultural roles.