Iron Seated Rocana Buddha of Samhwasa Temple, Donghae

This iron seated Buddha, enshrined in the Daeungjeon Hall of Samhwasa Temple, had its head, chest, abdomen, and back plate joined and set upon a cement pedestal; it has since been restored to its present form. The head appears to bear small, snail-shell-shaped curls, and the rather full face reflects the style of the Unified Silla period. The narrow, elongated eyes, the straight nose, and the full lips together give an overall impression of neat composure. The robe covering both shoulders has stylised, schematic folds and is open at the front to reveal the abdomen, showing a belt and a hanging knot. The hands have been restored with the right hand raised, palm facing outward, and the left hand lowered, palm likewise facing outward. During restoration, an inscription of about 161 characters in ten lines was discovered on the right side of the back plate. The name "Rocana Buddha" appears twice in the text, confirming the identity of the statue, and the inscription records that it was made in accordance with the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra), led by the monk Gyeoreon, who was active in the 880s, on behalf of a donor's parents — evidence that allows the statue to be dated to the late Unified Silla or early Goryeo period. The use of idu, a system for writing Korean with Chinese characters that persisted into the tenth century, together with sentences in which the characters are arranged according to Korean word order, also make this an important resource for the study of the Korean language of that time.

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Where it is

Region

Donghae, Gangwon

Designation

Treasure · 보물