Seated Stone Ksitigarbha at Yongamsa Temple Site, Jinju

This is the only Buddhist statue remaining at the site of Yongamsa Temple, set among cliffs of sedimentary rock. It depicts Ksitigarbha, the bodhisattva who saves sentient beings suffering in hell. The hood covering the head falls to the shoulders, and the neat, oval face, though its right cheek is broken, carries a gentle smile around the eyes warm enough to convey a sense of Buddha-nature. The robe draping both shoulders is rendered very realistically, with a thick collar and folds picked out in lines that accentuate the body beneath. Together with the hooded head, these features reflect a style popular in the early Goryeo period, making the statue a notable example of Ksitigarbha images from that time. The knees are relatively wide and raised; both elbows rest upon them with the hands clasped together, the left hand enclosing the right, so that the upper body forms a trapezoidal shape. The body beneath the robe appears swollen, yet conveys little sense of elasticity or volume. On the basis of its overall carving technique, the statue is presumed to date from the early Goryeo period.

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Where it is

Region

Jinju, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산