Mireukjeon Hall Seated Wooden Buddha of Beomeosa Temple

This statue, enshrined alone in Beomeosa Temple's Mireukjeon Hall, sits in the full lotus position atop a three-tiered pedestal at the rear of the altar on the right side, facing towards the left. The front of the statue is thickly gilded, and with almost no losses it is in good condition. The lower stone of this pedestal is especially notable, being a stone pedestal base presumed to date from the late Unified Silla to early Goryeo period. The seated wooden Buddha of Mireukjeon Hall is a massive image standing 169 cm tall; its back is held straight and the head bowed slightly forward, but the short neck gives it a somewhat hunched appearance. The separately carved hands form the mudra of Amitabha's nine grades of rebirth. With its elongated, squarish face and withdrawn expression, its noticeably protruding belly, the robe draped lightly over the right shoulder, the diagonal folds of the undergarment across the chest, and the simplified treatment of the back, this statue shares stylistic features with seventeenth-century wooden Buddhist images. According to the Record of the Repair of the Maitreya Image, written in 1714 by the disciple monk Bongsang and included in the Beomeosa Hyeonpan Gimun (Record of Beomeosa Temple's Hanging Tablets), the earliest possible date for the making of this statue is before the Imjin War (the Japanese invasions of 1592–98) or in 1602 or 1638, and the latest possible date does not exceed 1714. Moreover, the shape of the face, the manner of dress, and the treatment of the drapery all display stylistic features typical of late Joseon Buddhist statues, so the statue is presumed to have been made in the seventeenth or early eighteenth century. This statue is enshrined together with a valuable episode of history concerning Beomeosa Temple's Mireukjeon Hall; it is not only the largest of the wooden Buddha statues currently enshrined at Beomeosa Temple but also one of the earliest in date, and it is a heritage item of value for the study of late Joseon Buddhist statuary.

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Where it is

Region

Geumjeong-gu, Busan

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산