Deungmyeongsa Temple Site Five-story Stone Pagoda

This is a five-story stone pagoda standing within the grounds of Nakgasa Temple. Set on a hillside overlooking the blue waters of the East Sea, the temple stands on the site once occupied by a temple called Deungmyeongsa. The pagoda has a two-tier base topped by a five-story body and a finial. The topmost stones of the upper and lower tiers of the base are carved with a lotus pattern, and some of the corners of the stonework have been rounded off, giving an impression of softness. Above the base, the five storeys of the body are stacked closely together; the supports on the underside of the roof stones and the upward curve at the four corners lend the otherwise static body a sense of movement as well as a decorative effect. The niche carved in relief on the first-storey body stone, a small chamber for enshrining a Buddha image, appears to be a degenerated form of the technique, seen in wooden pagodas, of housing a Buddha image directly at this level. At the top, a finial carved with a lotus design survives. Judging from the composition and carving technique of the base, the number of roof-stone supports, and the degenerated form of the niche, the pagoda is presumed to have been built during the Goryeo dynasty. Overall, it is narrow and compact, giving it a distinctive beauty that sets it apart from other structures of its period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangneung, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산