Five-story Brick Pagoda in Jotap-ri, Andong

This is a brick pagoda (jeontap) of the Unified Silla period, an unusual pagoda made using a mixture of granite stone and brick. Almost all brick pagodas in Korea mix in granite, but this pagoda shows that intention even more assertively. The foundation (gidan) was made by compacting earth, and on top of it granite stones of irregular size were stacked in five to six tiers to form the first-storey body stone. On the south face a niche (gamsil) was carved, with guardian deity figures (Vajra warriors, Inwang) carved in relief on either side. From the first-storey roof upward the pagoda was built of brick, and patterned bricks that appear to date from its original construction survive. In the body above the second storey, formal niches are represented on the south faces of the second- and fourth-storey body stones, and, unlike other brick pagodas in Andong, the roof stones have no roof tiles. The proportional tapering of this pagoda is less harmonious in the body stones than in the roof stones, as seen in the excessive height of the first-storey body stone and the oversized fifth-storey body stone. It is presumed that the original form at the time of construction has been considerably altered through repeated partial repairs.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Andong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물