A Study on the Ritual Functions and Historical Transformation of Bangsangsi 

Author: Park Cho-rong

Page: 151-184

This study examines how the concept of Bangsangsi, which originated in ancient China, was transmitted to the Korean Peninsula and how it was subsequently received and transformed. It aims to elucidate its ritualistic and ideological significance. As a shamanic figure that purified defilement and warded off evil, the Fangxiang described in the 周禮 served as a ritual performer who guided the spirit of the deceased and cleansed impurity. During the Goryeo period, Bangsangsi emerged as a central figure in state Guna rituals, becoming institutionalized as a symbol of purification and warding off evil. In the Joseon dynasty, it was incorporated into the Confucian ritual system of the Gukjo Oryeui (National Five Rites), as part of the funerary protocol. In royal funerals and burial processions, Bangsangsi—wearing a four-eyed mask and carrying a spear and shield —stood at the head of the procession as a symbolic guardian of the deceased. Its shamanic and magical functions were reinterpreted within the Confucian framework as a symbol of ritual purification. Although the Narye gradually transformed into a performative entertainment and was eventually abolished in the late Joseon period, Bangsangsi remained an essential element of warding-off-evil practices within funeral ceremonies, a tradition that continued into the modern era. This continuity demonstrates that Bangsangsi was not merely a ceremonial ornament, but a cultural emblem symbolizing the boundaries between death, impurity, and purification. With the simplification of funeral customs in modern times, Bangsangsi gradually disappeared, but its remnants persisted in folk practices such as mask dances, village rituals, and exorcistic rites to ward off evil. Thus, the transformation of Bangsangsi exemplifies the cyclical structure of Korean ritual culture, evolving from shamanic belief to state institution, and finally to folk expression. Ultimately, Bangsangsi should not be regarded as a phenomenon confined to a single historical period, but as a long-standing ritual tradition extending from antiquity to the modern age—a representative case in which shamanic and magical elements persisted within a Confucian order. Furthermore, it reveals the cultural continuity and mutual influence among Korea, China, and Japan, highlighting the broader significance of Bangsangsi in the East Asian ritual tradition.