Five-story Brick Pagoda in Unheung-dong, Andong

This pagoda stands within the grounds of Andong Station and takes the form of a brick pagoda. The Andong region has a number of brick pagodas not found elsewhere in Korea; a brick pagoda is one built of clay bricks fired in a kiln. This pagoda is built five storeys high using plain, undecorated bricks. Each storey of the body has a niche (gamsil) intended to house a Buddha image, and on the south face of the second storey two Vajrapani guardian figures (inwangsang) are carved. Because of the constraints of using brick, the eaves of the roof stones are much narrower than those of ordinary stone pagodas. The number of courses forming the base of each roof decreases in sequence from the first storey upward — 10, 8, 6, 4 and 3 tiers — and at the ends of the eaves, close-set wooden strips were laid to support roof-tile ridges, with actual roof tiles applied up to the fourth storey. This roof form, together with the niches in the pagoda body, shows traces of the style of wooden pagodas. At the top of the pagoda, only a bokbal (an overturned-bowl-shaped ornament) remains as the finial. This brick pagoda dates from the Unified Silla period and is presumed to be the brick pagoda of Beomnimsa Temple recorded in the Dongguk yeoji seungnam and the Yeonggaji. According to the Yeonggaji, the Beomnimsa brick pagoda originally had seven storeys, underwent major repairs during the Joseon period, and had a finial of gilt bronze like that of the Beopheungsa pagoda, which was stolen by Ming Chinese soldiers immediately after the Japanese invasions of Korea; in light of these records, the pagoda's present appearance is thought to differ considerably from its original form.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Andong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물