Seonunsa Temple Temple Bell

This is a bronze bell of the late Joseon period kept at Seonunsa Temple in Gochang, Jeollabuk-do. It is 103 cm high with a mouth diameter of 93 cm, and 129 cm in total height including the yongnyu, the dragon-shaped hook by which the bell is hung; the yongnyu is cast in the form of two dragons. In place of the yongtong, the sound tube said to aid resonance and a typical feature of Korean bells, a single hole is pierced in the top of the bell, and two lines encircle the shoulder. Inside these lines an inscription is carved recording that the bell was recast in the 18th year of King Sunjo of Joseon (1818). At the centre of the body, three raised lines encircle it, dividing the surface into upper and lower sections. On the upper part are four rectangular yugwak (nipple-panel borders) decorated with flowers and vines, each enclosing nine raised yudu (nipple bosses). Between the yugwak panels, bodhisattvas standing with hands clasped are carved in relief, and above their heads are eight small circles, each inscribed with a single Sanskrit letter. Below the three lines is a record of what appear to be the names of 42 people, beneath which run two further lines. This bell retains the yugwak and yudu seen on Silla- and Goryeo-period bells, but also shows the features of a Joseon bell: the absence of a yongtong, a yongnyu formed of two dragons, and horizontal lines around the middle of the body and above the mouth of the bell.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gochang, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산