Jonjaamjisejon Reliquary Pagoda

The Jonjaamjisejon Reliquary Pagoda stands within the site of Jonjaam Hermitage. As for the founding date of Jonjaam Hermitage, Kim Jeong, styled Chungam, states in his Jonjaam Jungsugi (Record of the Restoration of Jonjaam) that "Jonjaam was first built when the three clans Go, Yang and Bu arose." Concerning the reliquary pagoda itself, Yi Gyeong-eok, who came to Jeju as a royal inspector in 1650, the second year of King Hyojong, expressed his reverence for it in a poem: "A lone pagoda that has endured for a thousand years." The pagoda is made of Jeju basalt. A firm foundation was laid, an octagonal base built on it, a supporting stone set on the base, the pagoda body placed on that, and the roof stone carved as a single piece. The body stone belongs to the stone-bell type but is drum-shaped, its top and bottom flattened, showing a graceful curve as it runs from the middle towards the upper and lower ends. The roof stone is flat underneath, but its rain-drip surface curves gently like the roof of a traditional Jeju thatched house; the finial set on top likewise shows refined, sophisticated carving, and since no other example in Korea has its roof stone and finial carved from the same block of stone, it is very highly valued. The octagonal lower base follows the basic form traditional to Korea's octagonal round-hall type of reliquary pagoda. A reliquary cavity was cut into the supporting stone, the roof stone was placed over the drum-shaped body stone, and the finial crowns the top. Judging from the finish and construction technique of each part, the pagoda is presumed to date from the late Goryeo to early Joseon period. It was restored in the spring of 2003.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seogwipo, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산