Geungnakgupumdo Painting of Heungguksa Temple, Goyang

The Geungnakgupumdo (Painting of the Nine Grades of Rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss) is a Buddhist painting that depicts, in separate sections, the assembly of Amitabha Buddha and the scenes of rebirth into Amitabha's Pure Land. The 'nine grades' (gupum) divide those to be reborn according to their spiritual capacity into upper, middle and lower grades, each of which is further divided into upper, middle and lower, giving nine stages ranging from the upper birth of the upper grade to the lower birth of the lower grade. The Geungnakgupumdo of Heungguksa Temple, Goyang, divides the picture plane into thirds both horizontally and vertically, separating the scene of Amitabha's Pure Land assembly from the scenes of rebirth in the nine grades. At the centre of the upper register is the Amitabha assembly, showing Amitabha Buddha together with bodhisattvas and the Ten Great Disciples; the remaining eight scenes each depict the Pure Land, set against a backdrop of pavilions and lotus ponds, showing those who save and those who are saved. The colours are dominated by yellow and green, with red and blue as accent colours, giving the whole picture a soft tone, and the brushwork is finely detailed. The painting bears no production record, so neither the date of production nor the monk-painter who made it is known. However, paintings of the same type survive at other temples — the Geungnakgupumdo of Heungcheonsa Temple (1885), of Bongwonsa Temple (1905) and of Suguksa Temple (1907) — and this work shows close affinities with them in composition, narrative development and use of colour, suggesting that it dates from the late 19th century. In particular, the method of dividing a single picture plane to depict several scenes in sequence is a distinctive compositional format that was popular in the Seoul and Gyeonggi region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Goyang, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산