Standing Yonghwasa Temple Maitreya Buddha

Standing on a hill behind Yonghwasa Temple in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, this stone standing Buddha is about 4.5 m tall and represents Maitreya, the buddha said to appear in the future world to save all sentient beings. According to tradition, the Seon master Myoryeon founded Mireuksa Temple and made this standing stone Maitreya in the second year of King Uija of Baekje, but the style of the statue suggests that it is in fact a work of the Goryeo period. The head of the statue is rendered large overall, while the lower body is treated as slender and underdeveloped. The almost square face carries a gentle smile, and the ears hang down long to the shoulders. The robe is draped over both shoulders, forming V-shaped folds down to the point below the chest where the two hands meet, and U-shaped folds beneath that. Although the statue as a whole lacks a sense of proportion, it belongs to the lineage of large Goryeo-period Buddha statues that begins with the Eunjin Maitreya of Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do. It is thought to have been made in the late Goryeo period.

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Where it is

Region

Buan, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산