Clay Seated Sakyamuni Buddha Triad and Excavated Relics of Songgwangsa Temple, Wanju

This seated Buddha triad is enshrined at Songgwangsa Temple, founded in 862, the seventh year of King Gyeongmun of Silla, by the Venerable Doui; the central image is the Buddha Sakyamuni, flanked by the Buddha Amitabha on the right and the Buddha Bhaisajyaguru on the left. Together with the clay seated Amitabha Buddha of Muryangsa Temple (5.4 m), it is among the largest clay Buddha images (5 m), a work in which the proportions of the body are relatively well balanced. The dignified, full face and the thickly rendered robe display technique befitting the imposing style of the image. The small, spiral-shell-shaped curls of hair give a strong impression, showing the period characteristic marking the emergence of the late-Joseon style. Inside the central Buddha image were found numerous votive objects, including the production record of the triad, sutras such as the Lotus Sutra, and a huryeongtong, a sealed bronze bottle of sacred objects placed inside a Buddha statue. According to the production record, the triad was made on the 29th day of the sixth month of 1641, the 14th year of the Chongzhen era of Ming China and the fifth year of King Injo, praying for the long life of the king and queen and for the speedy return of Crown Prince Sohyeon and Grand Prince Bongnim, who had been taken hostage to Qing China during the Manchu invasion of 1636. The record also uses the reign-era names of both the Ming and Qing dynasties together, reflecting a determination to overcome the extreme turmoil of the period after enduring the Japanese invasions of 1592 and the Manchu invasion of 1636, and showing both a historical consciousness and the full display of the cultural capacity of the time. This Buddha image is therefore a valuable source in that its date of production is certain and it reflects the historical consciousness of the age; together with the image, three of the twelve types of votive objects found inside it — three production records and three huryeongtong — have been designated as Treasures.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Wanju, Jeonbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물