Wooden Seated Sakyamuni Buddha Triad and Four Standing Bodhisattvas of Ssanggyesa Temple, Hadong

Among the wooden seated Buddha of the Three Ages enshrined in Daeungjeon Hall of Ssanggyesa Temple, Hadong, these are the Sakyamuni and Medicine Buddha images, excluding Amitabha, together with four standing bodhisattva images presumed to represent Suryaprabha, Candraprabha, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas. The Sakyamuni Buddha enshrined at the centre, as the principal image, is the largest and most robust in build of the three Buddha images, and appears stable with its broad knees. Because the boundary of the usnisa is not clearly defined, the rounded head shows both a central jewel above the forehead and a jewel at the crown, while the round, broad face carries a smile that seems both dignified and gentle. The robe, covering both shoulders while leaving the right arm exposed, shows the manner of dress typical of Buddha images from the early seventeenth century onward. The hands form the earth-touching gesture that subdues demons, the left hand resting on the knee and the right hand lowered below it; they are rendered like the hands of a real person, their realism conveying the outstanding carving skill of the monk-sculptors who made the image. The Medicine Buddha, enshrined to the principal image's right, facing forward, shows the same stylistic features as the principal image: a slightly stooping posture, the shape of the head, the facial expression, the shortened neck and confident shoulders, the broad knees, the highly realistic hands, and a body that, while smooth, has a sense of volume. It differs from the Sakyamuni Buddha only in being somewhat smaller, in forming the Amitabha hand gesture, in having a slightly longer face and ears, and in a changed manner of dress with more elaborate robe folds. The four standing bodhisattvas stand to the left and right of the Medicine Buddha and Amitabha Buddha, presumed to be Suryaprabha and Candraprabha Bodhisattvas and Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas. All four have slender, S-curved bodies with the belly slightly thrust forward, wear ornate crowns, and are adorned with earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Suryaprabha and Candraprabha, standing on either side of the Medicine Buddha, have sun and moon shapes at the centre of their crowns and hold a lotus branch, the left hand raised to shoulder height and the right lowered. Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, standing on either side of Amitabha Buddha, raise the right hand to shoulder height and lower the left, holding a lotus branch and a water bottle respectively. The carving of the drapery covering both shoulders and of the hands and feet is highly natural and realistic, giving these images, together with the Sakyamuni and Medicine Buddha images, outstanding artistic quality. According to a record of production found inside the images, they were made in 1639, the seventeenth year of King Injo of Joseon, by eleven monk-painters including the monk Cheongheon. The wooden seated Buddha of the Three Ages and the four standing bodhisattvas of Ssanggyesa Temple are valued as important material for the study of Buddha images of the early seventeenth century in the Joseon period.

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Where it is

Region

Hadong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물