Queen Munjeong or Queen Moon-Jung , also known as Queen Dowager Seongryeol, was a Queen consort of Korea by marriage to King Jungjong of Joseon, and Regent of Korea from 1545 until 1565. She was of the Papyeong Yun clan. She was regent for her son King Myeongjong when he was still too young to rule by himself until 1565. Known as a good administrator, she continued to rule even after he reached the age of maturity. She gave out the land to common people who had been formerly owned by the nobility. It was only after her death that her son took over power. She was given the posthumous title Seongryeol Inmyeong Munjeong Wanghu.
Rise to Power
According to unofficial chronicles, there is a tale of Munjeong finally showing love for her "adoptive" son King Injong, after decades of polite indifference. As Injong went to pay his morning respects, Munjeong’s face started radiating with a smile only a mother could give to her child. Injong took it as a sign that the Queen Mother was finally acknowledging him as the king, and in particular as her own son. He ate the ddeok that his step-mother gave him, not knowing that it would be the beginning of the end. He fell ill slowly, not enough to create any suspicion, but quickly enough that historians would later pick up on the event. Three days passed before Injong mysteriously died. Queen Munjong’s son became King Myeongjong, while Munjeong became Queen Regent. The chronicles also tell that Munjeong was frequently visited by spirits at night after Injong’s death. So disturbed was she that she moved her residence from Gyeongbok Palace to Changdeok Palace.
Revival of Buddhism
Munjeong was the most influential supporter of Buddhism during the early dynasty; indeed, she lifted the official ban on Buddhist worship and instigated an impressive revival of Buddhism. Two proofs of her strong support of Buddhism still exist.
Buddhist Paintings
During the time her son fell ill, and at the same time her failure to produce another son, her concerns motivated her to order 400 Buddhist artworks. Also, the aim of the commission was to commemorate the opening of Hoeam Temple. The project was started in 1563 and was completed 2 years later. Unfortunately, the Royal Prince died before the commission's completion. The massive commission involved 100 scrolls on each of 4 triads:
In each set of 100, 50 were executed in colors and gold, the other 50 in gold only. As of 2009, only 6 of the commissioned 400 are still extant.
1 painting in the Sakyamuni Triad – made in 1565, formerly belonging to the Hoeam Temple, discovered in Japan, and purchased and kept by the Mary Jackson Burke Collection in 1990 in New York. The painting is considered by experts in the field and in the Buddhist community to be one of the most important and representative Buddhist artworks produced during the Dynasty.
Buddhist temples served as another proof of Munjeong's zealous aim of the revival of Buddhism. The cornerstone of the revival of Buddhism is the Bongeun-sa Temple. Bongeun-sa was established in 794 by Ven. Yeon-hoe, and was originally called Gyeonseong-sa. It was rebuilt in 1498 and renamed Bongeun-sa; in 1562 it was moved about 1 km to its current location and rebuilt. Its fate was destruction by fire and repetitive rebuilding and renovations. A three-story stone stupa enshrines the Sari of Sakyamuni Buddha, brought from Sri Lanka in 1975. The temple fell into decline during the late Goryeo era, but was reconstructed in 1498. Before the reconstruction, Buddhism fell under severe state-imposed oppression as the government maintained Neo-Confucianism as the sole state ideal. With Munjeong's strong support for the re-awakening of Buddhism, she reconstructed Bongeun-sa and it was to become a cornerstone for early-Joseon Buddhist revival. Ven. Bo-woo played a key role at this critical period, having been assigned as the Chief Monk of Bongeun-sa in 1548. He revived an official system of training and selecting monks in both the Seon and Gyo sects of Korean Buddhism. In 1551, Bongeun-sa became the main temple of the Jogye Seon Order, then soon became the main base for the overall restoration of Korean Buddhism. This revived training system produced such illustrious monks as Ven. Seo-san, Ven. Sa-myeong, and Ven. Byeok-am. However, after Munjeong died, Ven. Bo-woo was killed by anti-Buddhist officials.
Family
Father: Yun Ji-Im
*Grandfather: Yun Uk
**Great-Grandfather: Yun Gye-Gyeom
***Great-Great-Grandfather: Yun Sa-Heun , brother to Queen Jeonghui
