Stele of State Preceptor Wongak at Yeongguksa Temple, Yeongdong

This stele stands within the grounds of Yeongguksa Temple and was erected in honour of State Preceptor Wongak, an eminent monk of the mid-Goryeo period. Wongak entered the monkhood at a young age and rose to become Seonsa and then Daeseonsa, senior ranks of Seon Buddhist master; when he died in 1174, the fourth year of King Myeongjong, the king had his remains enshrined at Yeongguksa Temple. The stele takes the common form of a stone body set upon a turtle-shaped base, or gwibu, and capped with a capstone. The turtle base shows typical mid-Goryeo style: the head, modelled on a dragon's head, is rendered in a simplified, degenerate form, and both the hexagonal pattern on the turtle's shell and the vine-scroll decoration around the slot that holds the stele body have been omitted. The lower part of the stele body is missing and its surface is badly worn. The capstone is carved, somewhat perfunctorily, with clouds and a dragon, and at the centre of the front face is carved the stele's title, 'Wongak guksa bimyeong', or Epitaph of State Preceptor Wongak. The overall impression is heavy and thickset, a feature that reflects the taste of the period: the base is large in proportion to the body, giving a sense of stability, while the capstone is disproportionately large, giving an oppressive weight. According to the Daedong geumseokseo, a compendium of Korean epigraphy, the inscription was composed by Han Mun-jun, and the stele was erected in 1180, the tenth year of King Myeongjong of Goryeo.

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Where it is

Region

Yeongdong, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물