Excavated Relics from the Gilt-bronze Seated Buddha of Munsusa Temple, Seosan

The Excavated Relics from the Gilt-bronze Seated Buddha of Munsusa Temple, Seosan came from a gilt-bronze seated Buddha statue designated as a Chungcheongnam-do Tangible Cultural Heritage; the statue itself was stolen in 1993, and only the relics deposited inside it survive. Within the statue, a wide variety of textual materials were found, comprising 17 types and 504 items in all, including printed items such as sutras and dharani, and handwritten materials such as votive texts and inventories of enshrined items, together with a garment (a dapho, a type of sleeveless robe) made at the end of the Goryeo period, various textiles, and an eight-lobed cylindrical case, among other relics. Among the printed textual relics, the Lotus Sutra and the Inwang hoguk banya baramilgyeong (Perfection of Wisdom Sutra for Humane Kings who Wish to Protect their States) each bear gakpil (stylus-inscribed marks) and seokdok gugyeol (Korean reading glosses), making them valuable material for the study of the history of the Korean language. Among the handwritten materials, a votive text and an inventory of enshrined items bearing the date "the sixth year of Zhizheng [1346]" are important evidence for establishing when the Buddha statue was made, when the relics were deposited, and what items were included. There are also various dharani and stuffing papers, all of which were deposited together in 1346. These textual relics are academically significant across a range of fields — Korean linguistics, bibliography, the history of Buddhism and art history — and are also highly valued as cultural heritage in their own right. Among the deposited relics, one dapho garment and a variety of other textiles were also found. The dapho is regarded as a highly important artefact for research into the po, or outer robe, of the late Goryeo period, and the textiles, being well preserved, provide valuable evidence of Goryeo-period dyeing techniques and traditional colours. In addition, an eight-lobed cylindrical case, bells and beads were found and have likewise been preserved.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yesan, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물