Tapdong Five-story Stone Pagoda, Cheongju

This pagoda stands in the Tapdong area of Cheongju; it was moved and re-erected at its present site after having collapsed at a spot 40 m to the west. The pagoda gave the neighbourhood its name, Tapdong ("Pagoda-dong"). Judging from its form, it seems originally to have carried a five-storey body set on a two-tier base, but today the base is almost entirely gone, and of the body only the first-storey body stone and the roof stones of the first, second, third and fifth storeys survive. The fifth-storey body stone and the finial at the top were added when the pagoda was restored. On the surviving part of the base, a thick supporting moulding was carved on the upper surface to bear the first-storey body stone. On the first-storey body stone, pillar-shaped carvings mark each corner, and a Buddha image is carved on each of the four faces: to the east, apparently the Medicine Buddha (Yaksa-yeorae); to the south, the Buddha Vairocana; to the west, the Buddha Sakyamuni; and to the north, a seated Amitabha Buddha. The roof stones each have five tiers of eaves-support mouldings on the underside, with the four corners curving upward. Overall the pagoda appears to follow the style of Unified Silla stone pagodas, but it is a pity that, owing to the loss of some of its stones, the pagoda's once-grand original appearance can no longer be seen. It is thought to have been built sometime between the late Unified Silla and early Goryeo periods.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산