Korean Spirit-writing Scriptures Based onWenchang Belief in the 19th Century

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Musangdan(sic)(sic)(sic)(Musang Altar), a spirit-writing cult established in Korea in the late nineteenth century. It delves into the context inwhich the Musangdan emerged in Choson, examining the community's religious objectives inthe face of Choson's Neo-Confucian ideology, which perceived Daoism and Buddhism asheretical. Spirit-writing groups rooted in Daoist rituals were prevalent in East Asian regions,such as Shanghai, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, in the nineteenth century; however, the lack ofcomprehensive research on Korean spirit-writing scriptures has obscured their prevalence inKorea. This study on Musangdan is based on theMunch'ang chegun mongsu pijang kyong(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(Scripture on the secret teachings of the Thearch of Literature[Munch'ang chegun] received in a dream, 1878), theMunch'ang chegun songse kyong(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(Scripture of the Thearch of Literature to awaken the world, 1878), andMunch'angchegun t'ongsam kyong(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(Scripture of the Thearch of Literature to unify theThree Teachings, 1878), which are regarded as the key spirit-writing scriptures ofMusangdan. This research explores how the Musangdan reshaped traditional worship objectsand bolstered community preservation during the late Choson period. It attempts to providea foundational reference for comprehending the characteristics of the Korean spirit-writingcult toward the close of the nineteenth century