Stone Buddhas in Four Directions in Hwajeon-ri, Yesan

Discovered in 1983, this is the only sammyeonbul, or four-faced Buddha, of the Baekje period, with Buddha images carved on all four sides of a stone pillar. Such images are also known as safangbul, or four-directional Buddhas, representing the four objects of worship who preside over the pure lands of the four directions: Bhaisajyaguru (the Medicine Buddha) in the east, Amitabha in the west, Sakyamuni in the south and Maitreya in the north. On the south face is a seated Buddha thought to be the principal image, while each of the other three faces bears a single standing Buddha. The heads are badly damaged, and only the west- and north-facing figures survive; the hands, which were carved separately to be attached, are all lost. All four images wear robes draped over both shoulders, with a knotted sash visible at the chest, and their deep drapery folds overlap in a U-shape below the chest. The head halos are circular and carved with flame and lotus motifs, a style particular to Baekje. As Korea's earliest stone four-directional Buddha, it can be compared with the Rock-carved Buddha Triad in Yonghyeon-ri, Seosan (a National Treasure), and is an extremely valuable work for the study of Baekje art history and the history of Buddhism.

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Where it is

Region

Yesan, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물