Printing Woodblocks of Worin seokbo (Episodes from the Life of Sakyamuni Buddha)

The Printing Woodblocks of Worin seokbo are the blocks carved to print the book Worin seokbo, and are the only such woodblocks surviving in Korea. Worin seokbo is a Buddhist scripture compiled in 1459, the fifth year of King Sejo, by combining Worin cheongangjigok and Seokbo sangjeol; "seokbo" means a chronicle of Sakyamuni Buddha, that is, an account of his life. Seokbo sangjeol was written in 1446, the twenty-eighth year of King Sejong, by Prince Suyang (later King Sejo), drawing on Buddhist texts to pray for the repose of Queen Soheon's soul, while Worin cheongangjigok was composed in 1447, the twenty-ninth year of King Sejong, when King Sejong read Seokbo sangjeol and wrote a hymn of two verses for each passage. Of the woodblocks for Worin seokbo, only the 46 blocks (181 leaves) of volume 21 survive today. They were carved in 1569, the second year of King Seonjo, sponsored by Baek Gae-man, who lived in Hansan, Chungcheong Province, and were kept at Ssanggyesa Temple on Bulmyeongsan Mountain in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. They are now held at Gapsa Temple, said to have been acquired there some seventy years ago. The blocks are carved in relief on cassia wood, with the names of the sponsor and the carver recorded at the lower right of each block. In places, the tone-marking dots and letter strokes have worn away, leaving some sections altered. These may be called Korea's first Buddhist scripture printed in the Hangeul script, preserving the letters and language of the fifteenth century as they were, and they are an extremely valuable resource for understanding the historical development of the Korean language.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물