Seated Gosansa Temple Wooden Shakyamuni Buddha

This wooden seated Shakyamuni Buddha is enshrined as the principal image in the Daeungjeon Hall of Gosansa Temple. At 138 cm in seated height it is quite large for a seated statue, and, being carved by hollowing out a single log, it is unusually heavy. Cavities for sacred deposits (bokjanggong) were made in the back and in the underside of the statue. The one in the back is now completely sealed, while the one underneath is fixed with four wooden boards nailed in place with iron nails. The huryeongtong, a sacred cylindrical container normally placed among such deposits, does not survive, but a copy (fascicles 1 to 3, bound as a single volume) of the Suneungeomgyeong Uihae (Compiled Commentaries on the Surangama Sutra) was found, along with fragments of another, partly damaged scripture. A colophon in the middle of the Suneungeomgyeong Uihae records that it was carved and printed by royal command at the Sutra Publication Office of the Kingdom of Joseon in the imja year, the sixth year of the Tianshun era, showing that it was issued by the Directorate for the Publication of Buddhist Sutras (Gan-gyeong Dogam) in 1462; judging from the condition of the printing, it is presumed to be a first edition. Overall the head of this Buddha is somewhat large in proportion to the body; the head is bowed slightly forward, and the figure sits in the full lotus position. The usnisha, the cranial protrusion, has an indistinct boundary but is rounded and fairly high, and among the tightly curled snail-shell locks of hair a topknot jewel and a mid-level jewel are depicted. The nearly straight forehead, thin bow-shaped eyebrows, half-open eyes turned slightly upward, and firmly closed lips are features commonly seen in Buddhist statues of the 17th century, in the latter part of the Joseon dynasty. The robe draped over both shoulders, the broadly open chest, and the zigzag-patterned undergarment are likewise the most typical forms found in late Joseon Buddhist statues.

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Where it is

Region

Dong-gu, Daejeon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산