Three-story Stone Pagoda in Dongbon-ri, Yecheon

A stream called Hancheon flows in front of the pagoda, and Heugeungsan Mountain stands behind it. The presence of the pagoda and a Buddha image shows that this was once a temple site, though the name of the temple is unknown. Because the ground beneath the upper tier of the platform is buried, it is unclear whether the platform originally had one or two tiers. At present a sloping stone lies on top, with the middle stone of the platform placed above it. The middle stone is made of four slabs, each carved at its corners with pillar shapes, and between them are carved figures of the Four Heavenly Kings, the four deities who protect the Buddhist law. The body of the pagoda has its body stones and roof stones each made from a single block, with pillar shapes carved at the four corners of the body stone of each storey. The underside of the roof stones has five tiers of eaves-supports on the first and second storeys and four on the third, and it is unusual that the body stone of the first storey is noticeably larger than those of the second and third. The underside of the eaves is straight but curves up lightly at the corners, and the slope of the roof's rain-drip surface is gentle. The finial consists of a noban (a base for the finial decoration) and a bokbal (an upturned-bowl-shaped ornament) carved from a single stone, but these appear to have been added at a later date. Although not large in scale, it is a well-proportioned and beautiful pagoda, with a pleasing ratio of decrease in the body stones and balanced roof-stone dimensions. The carving technique of the Four Heavenly Kings on the middle stone of the platform also shows an unformalised, natural charm. The reduced number of eaves-supports on the underside of the roof stones and the simplified corbel stones beneath each element suggest that the pagoda was built in the late Unified Silla period.

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Where it is

Region

Yecheon, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물