Seated Gangneungsongnasaseokjoyaksa Temple Buddha

The stone seated Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) of Songnasa Temple is said to have been excavated in 1936 from the site of Banghyeonsa Temple in Bangnae-ri, Yeongok-myeon, Gangneung. The lower body is large in proportion to the torso, giving a sense of stability, but the short neck gives the figure a somewhat hunched posture. The head is formed of such gently curving lines that the spiral-curled hair and the usnisa, the topknot-like protuberance atop a Buddha's head, are difficult to tell apart. On the round face, the eyes and mouth are so worn that their original form can no longer be made out. On the forehead is a hole for the urna, a tuft of hair between a Buddha's eyebrows, now fitted with a large bead that appears to have been inserted in recent times. The robe covering both shoulders is thick, so that the contours of the body are barely visible; it is marked by coarse, monotonous folds and a knot rendered at the left shoulder. The right hand rests palm-inward on the right knee, while the left hand is raised to chest height, holding a medicine bowl that is large in proportion to the body. The statue is presumed to be a Buddhist sculpture of the early Goryeo period, distinguished by its large lower body relative to the torso, which lends a sense of stability, and by the drapery folds over the legs, carved in an uneven, bumpy manner to create a sense of volume.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangneung, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산