Standing Yonghwasa Temple Stone Buddha

The Standing Stone Buddha of Yonghwasa Temple is enshrined within the temple grounds on the western side of Gyejoksan Mountain in Eupnae-dong, Daedeok-gu. Carved from a single stone together with a large boat-shaped halo that covers the whole body and the Buddha image itself, it is a life-size figure 162 cm in height. At the centre of the halo only the Buddha's body and head-halo are carved, with nothing else depicted; however, faint diagonal lines remain in the upper right of the halo, suggesting that flame patterns may once have been carved there. The Buddha's body shows good proportion and balance between face and figure. The hair is rendered in tight snail-shell curls with a high, prominent usnisha, and a piece of glass is set into the forehead to represent the urna, a tuft of white hair between the brows. The body is carved to a uniform thickness, and the robe covers both shoulders; the drapery over the left shoulder passes behind the neck, comes under the right armpit and across to the left shoulder, then covers the right shoulder again. The folds are relatively thick, forming evenly spaced U-shaped lines that run from the chest down to the knees and continue further below. The hand gesture appears to represent Amitabha's mudra for the lowest of the middle three grades of rebirth. The head-halo is circular and densely carved throughout with an elaborate scrolling floral pattern. Although the figure is elegant and the hand gesture and robe are rendered in a fairly ordered, refined manner that carries on the style of Unified Silla Buddhist images, the overall lack of volume and the somewhat provincial face suggest it was made in the early Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Daedeok-gu, Daejeon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산