Bronze Gong of Okcheonsa Temple, Goseong

The Bronze Gong of Okcheonsa Temple, Goseong is a sound-making implement made of bronze for use in temples. It is also called a geumgo or geumgubanja, and was struck to gather the congregation or to mark the progress of Buddhist rites. This gong is 55 cm in diameter and 14 cm wide. Its surface is divided into four concentric circles by four borders of thick and thin lines. In the central circle, six round lotus seed-pods stand out in relief; the next circle bears overlapping lotus petals carved in relief. The outermost circle is decorated with a raised scroll (arabesque) pattern, while the circle just inside it is left plain. On the side, a thick raised line running around the middle divides it into upper and lower sections, and above this line are three round loops for hanging the gong. An inscription on the upper side records that the object was called a banja and that it was made in 1252, the 39th year of King Gojong of Goryeo, by a craftsman named Han Jung-seo. This bronze gong did not originally belong to Okcheonsa Temple but came from Anyangsa Temple on Jirisan Mountain; it is not known when it came to be kept at Okcheonsa. As the patterns on its striking face are clear and undamaged, and the inscription on its side records the date of manufacture, its origin, and the names of both the donor and the maker, it is an extremely valuable resource for studying the community of craftsmen in Goryeo at the time.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Goseong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물