Muryangsa Temple Bronze Bell

The Muryangsa Temple Bronze Bell was cast in 1636, during the reconstruction of Muryangsa Temple after the Japanese invasions of 1592, together with Geungnakjeon Hall, a gwaebul (a huge Buddhist painting hung outdoors for large ceremonies), the principal Buddha image and the painting behind it; it appears to have been used together with a wooden fish drum and a Dharma drum. The bell partly continues the style of the Silla and Goryeo periods, which reappeared widely just after the Japanese invasions, with a slight admixture of early Joseon forms, taking the shape of an upturned artillery shell. At the top is a dragon-shaped hanging loop in the form of a dragon lifting the body of the bell, together with a sound tube, the dragon's legs coiled around the tube. On the body of the bell a bodhisattva figure appears to be flanked by Brahma and Indra with hands joined in prayer, though this is not certain. Inscriptions recording the donors and the writer of the text are recorded on the bell. This bell is a masterpiece among bells cast in the late Joseon period: the decoration on its surface is arranged in an orderly manner, and its tone is also very even.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Buyeo, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산