Seated Jeokcheonsa Temple Wooden Four Guardian Kings Ui

These are the Four Heavenly Kings statues standing on either side of the Cheonwangmun (the gate of the Four Heavenly Kings) at Jeokcheonsa Temple in Cheongdo-eup, Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Guarding the temple, the statues were made by joining several pieces of wood together and are quite large, standing 3.4–3.8 m tall. The Four Heavenly Kings are deities who dwell halfway up Mount Sumeru, guard the four cardinal directions, and protect the Buddhist teaching. Each holds a different object — a pipa (lute), a sword, a pagoda, or a wish-granting jewel — but apart from these attributes their manner of depiction is similar. Although each tramples a demon underfoot, the faces are not fierce or angry but rather have a humorous, even smiling, expression, a feature commonly seen in Four Heavenly Kings statues of the late Joseon period. Relics found inside the statues reveal that they were made in 1690, the 16th year of King Sukjong, making this work a benchmark for dating late-Joseon Four Heavenly Kings statues.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산