Stele of Buddhist Monk Tongil at Gagyeonsa Temple, Goesan

This stele records the life and achievements of Master Tongil, a monk of the early Goryeo period, and stands on a hillside about 1 km from Gagyeonsa Temple, along the valley of Bogaesan Mountain to the southeast of the temple. Master Tongil studied in China during the early Goryeo period, and it is said that when he lectured on Buddhist doctrine at the royal court, people flocked to him from all over like clouds. When the master passed away, King Gwangjong bestowed on him the posthumous title "Master Tongil" and had Kim Jeong-eon, a leading writer of the time, compose the inscription. Standing on a stone platform, the stele consists of a tortoise-shaped base supporting the body of the stele, capped with a headstone. The tortoise base bears no decoration on its back, and its head has been transformed into a dragon's head, a stylistic feature that emerged in the transition from the late Unified Silla to the early Goryeo period. The inscription on the body of the stele is written in the haeseo (standard) script; of the original 3,500 characters, most have worn away and only about 260 remain, scattered and legible. On the four sides of the headstone, four dragons are carved in grandiose style, their raised heads supporting the boju, a finial in the shape of a lotus bud, at the top. It is one of the few stone steles preserved in its original location and original form, erected in 958, the ninth year of King Gwangjong of Goryeo. The stylistic change seen in the tortoise head carved on the base, and the carving technique applied to each part, well illustrate the excellence of stone steles of the period.

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Where it is

Region

Goesan, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물