Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha of Borimsa Temple, Jangheung

An iron Buddha enshrined in the Daejeokgwangjeon Hall of Borimsa Temple, Yuchi-myeon, Jangheung, South Jeolla. Its pedestal and mandorla are lost, and only the body remains. An inscription on the back of the left arm says the image was made in 858, the second year of King Heonan of Silla, with an offering from Kim Su-jong, deputy governor of Muju (present-day Gwangju and Jangheung), so its date is known exactly. Small snail-shell curls are set on the head, and the oval face is slightly fleshy. The sharp nose and firmly closed mouth give some dignity, but the whole is somewhat abstract. Compared with Buddhas of the height of Unified Silla in the eighth century it has lost tension and spring. The robe over both shoulders gathers in a U at the chest, then passes over both arms and flows down to the knees. The folds make soft curves but have lost their spring. This kind of treatment shows the ideal sense of form of Silla Buddhas receding and becoming schematic, and is a representative feature of the Buddha style of the later ninth century. The right hand wraps the index finger of the left, the usual gesture of Vairocana. Its certain date makes it important for tracing the lineage of similar Vairocana images of the time, and it is highly valued as the first example of the iron Buddhas that were fashionable from late Silla into early Goryeo.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jangheung, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

National Treasure · 국보