Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha of Bukgosa Temple

The Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha of Bukgosa Temple (北固寺木造阿彌陀如來坐像), enshrined in the Geungnakjeon Hall of Bukgosa Temple in Eumnae-ri, Muju-eup, Muju-gun, was made in 1657, the eighth year of King Hyojong, as recorded in the votive text sealed inside the statue at the time, together with later restoration votive texts of 1736, the twelfth year of King Yeongjo, and of 1928. According to these texts, work on the statue began in April 1657 and was completed the following month, after which it was enshrined in the Geungnakjeon Hall of Unsuam Hermitage on Deogyusan Mountain; in 1736 it was moved to Gyeongwolsa Temple. On 21 March 1736 it was relocated to the Bowoljeon Hall of Anguksa Temple on Jeoksangsan Mountain so that its gilding could be renewed, and afterwards it was returned to Gyeongwolsa Temple. In 1928 it was regilded once more and enshrined at Bukgosa Temple. The statue is thought most likely to have been made as a single image rather than as part of a triad. It is a wooden seated Amitabha Buddha made under the lead sculptor-monk Seungil, who was mainly active in the Jeolla region, with the monks Cheoyeong, Dojam and others assisting. The Buddha sits in the full lotus position wearing a robe that covers both shoulders, on a wooden pedestal. Its hands form the mudra of the lowest of the middle grade of rebirth, one of the nine grades of Amitabha's rebirth mudras. The hair is rendered in tight spiral curls, with an usnisha — the knob at the crown symbolising the Buddha's transcendent wisdom — shown at the top of the head. The statue is 73 cm high, with a knee width of 54 cm. The statue closely resembles the seated wooden Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) and the seated wooden Amitabha Buddha at Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul, both made by Seungil in the 1650s. In particular, the placement of the right hand low over the foot is a distinctive feature of statues by Seungil, who inherited this treatment from his teacher Cheongheon. However, unlike the more angular, near-square statue at Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul, this figure has been reworked into softer curves and given a somewhat more elongated form. The outer robe is draped diagonally over the right shoulder, and the drapery folds between the two legs are broad and symmetrical.

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Where it is

Region

Muju, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산