Five-story Stone Pagoda at Dongsa Temple Site, Hanam

This five-storey stone pagoda stands in Chungung-dong, Hanam, Gyeonggi-do, with a five-storey body set on a two-tier base. Pillar shapes are carved at the four corners of the base and at the centre of each face; the south face is broken, so a large pillar stone can be seen inside it. The distinctive feature of this pagoda appears in its body. The body stone of the first storey is made in two tiers: the lower tier consists of four square stones, with a single stone placed on top of them. The same arrangement can be seen in the Five-story Stone Pagoda at Seonggeosa Temple Site (traditionally attributed), Gwangju (a treasure), and it is a new style that emerged during the Goryeo period. The stones making up the roof stones are likewise four pieces at the first to third storeys, two pieces at the fourth, and a single piece at the fifth. The underside of each roof stone has supporting tiers of five at the first storey, four at the second to fourth storeys, and three at the fifth, an arrangement that makes the body of the pagoda seem to taper more strongly as it rises. The underside of the roof stones is level and straight, and while the slope is gentle, the lines at the four corners rise up clearly, giving the pagoda a light, buoyant look. At the top of the pagoda, only the noban, the flat finial base, survives of the original head ornament. Although there are many irregularities in its structure, a certain regularity can be felt in the finish of each part, and the proportions of the body are harmonious, making this an excellent work. Features such as the degree of upward curve at the corners of the roof stones and the two-tier base follow the typical style of late Unified Silla stone pagodas. However, the reduced number of tiers in the roof-stone supports, now three to four, and the reduced number of pillar carvings at the centre of the base, suggest that it was built in the latter half of the 10th century, in the early Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hanam, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물