Stupa of Buddhist Monk Hakjo at Bokcheonam Hermitage of Beopjusa Temple, Boeun

The Stupa of Buddhist Monk Hakjo at Bokcheonam Hermitage of Beopjusa Temple, Boeun, stands on a hill to the south-east of Bokcheonam Hermitage of Beopjusa Temple. It is notable as an early Joseon-period stupa that records both the name of the monk it commemorates and the date of its construction. In form the stupa follows the octagonal, round-hall type of Goryeo stupas, but differs significantly in that its body is spherical. An inscription spanning two faces of the octagonal middle base reads '正德九年 甲戌五月 日立' ('erected in the fifth month of the gapsul year, the ninth year of Jeongdeok') and '學祖燈谷 和尙塔' ('Stupa of the Monk Hakjo Deunggok'), showing that it was erected in 1514, the ninth year of King Jungjong of Joseon. The Buddhist monk Hakjo was an eminent cleric active in the early Joseon period: in 1488, the nineteenth year of King Seongjong, he restored Haeinsa Temple on the order of Grand Queen Dowager Insu, and in 1500, the sixth year of Yeonsangun's reign, he printed three sets of the Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa Temple on the order of Queen Sin and wrote its colophon. The Stupa of Buddhist Monk Hakjo at Bokcheonam Hermitage of Beopjusa Temple, Boeun, is a valuable source that records both the date of its construction and the name of the monk it commemorates. Joseon-period stupas rarely have accompanying steles that give an absolute date, making such material scarce, but this stupa is important both for showing how early Joseon stupa style inherited that of Goryeo, and as a reference work for dating other stupas.

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Where it is

Region

Boeun, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물