Bunhwangsa Temple Hwajaengguksabibu

This is a stele base standing beside a well within Bunhwangsa Temple, erected to honour the Great Master Wonhyo. It takes the form of a low rectangular block and is considerably damaged, with all four corners broken away. A groove is cut into the top surface to hold the stele upright, and the sides are carved with shallow ansang (arch-shaped niche) motifs. What survives is the base of the Stele of the State Preceptor Hwajaeng, erected by Han Munjun during the reign of King Myeongjong of Goryeo (1170–1197). The king, regretting that Wonhyo had neither a memorial stele nor a posthumous title (siho, an honorific title bestowed to commend the virtue of the deceased), granted him the posthumous title "Daeseong Hwajaeng Guksa" (Great Sage, State Preceptor of Harmonising Disputes) and ordered that a stele be erected. Left neglected for a long time, it was rediscovered near the temple by Kim Jeong-hui, who had an inscription confirming its identity carved onto the base stone. The stele itself survived until after the Japanese invasion of 1592, but today only this base stone remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산