Stupa of Buddhist Monk Muhak at Hoeamsa Temple Site, Yangju

Hoeamsa Temple was founded by the monk Jigong in 1328, during the reign of King Chungsuk of Goryeo, and was abandoned sometime in the 1800s during the reign of King Sunjo of Joseon. It was a temple under the protection of the royal court in the early Joseon period, and is also famous as the place where King Taejo, Yi Seong-gye, lived and practised in his old age. Standing on the ridge north of the temple site alongside the stupas of the monks Jigong and Naong, this stupa is the funerary stupa of the great monk Muhak. A railing surrounds it to protect it. Muhak, who had also served as abbot of Hoeamsa Temple, was active from the end of Goryeo into the beginning of Joseon, and became still more widely known through his connection to King Taejo, Yi Seong-gye, the founder of Joseon. Particularly well known are the tale in which Muhak interpreted Yi Seong-gye's dream and foretold that he would become king, and the legends associated with the relocation of the capital to Hanyang. In form, the stupa has a platform (gidan) set on an octagonal base stone carved with cloud patterns, with the body (tapsin) and finial stacked above it. The upper and lower stones of the platform are lotus-shaped, while the middle stone is an octagonal, drum-like form that bulges outward, each face decorated in relief with a different flower carving. The body stone is rounded, its surface densely carved with dragons and clouds that catch the eye; the dragon's head, body and scales are rendered realistically, giving a sense of vitality, while the cloud patterns heighten the sense of movement still further. The roof stone is octagonal, its eaves carved with forms imitating wooden architecture; the slope is steep, and the eave tips curve lightly upward. Atop the roof sits a single round stone, giving the finial a simplified form. This stupa, which shows the style of the early Joseon period, is grand in scale and well-proportioned in shape. Records on the memorial stele for Muhak indicate that it was erected in 1407.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물