Seated Buljusa Wooden Avalokitesvara

This wooden statue, enshrined as the principal image in the Gwaneumjeon Hall of Buljusa Temple, is 45 cm tall with a knee width of 35 cm. Buljusa Temple is said to have been founded during the reign of King Uija of Baekje (r. 641–660), but no clear record of this survives. The head bears an ornate crown shaped like the character '山' (mountain), and a topknot-shaped bun of hair rises high on the crown. The nearly square face is full and gentle, with narrow eyes, a sharply defined nose and a firmly closed mouth rendered in balanced proportion. The ears are relatively short, but three folds of flesh on the neck give an impression that is both benevolent and dignified. The robe covering both shoulders falls in folds down the arms and drapes over both knees. Across the chest, the hem of the undergarment is visible, without any particular ornamentation. In the hand gesture, both hands are held horizontally and rest lightly on the knees: the right hand touches thumb to middle finger with the palm facing outward, and the left hand touches thumb to middle finger with the palm facing upward. Inside this seated Avalokitesvara, a votive text and a record of donors were found; the votive text shows that the statue was made in the third year of the Shunzhi era (1647). Dating from 1647, this wooden seated Avalokitesvara — with its full face, imposing shoulders and well-balanced knees — is a valuable, precisely dated example for tracing the chronology of late Joseon Buddhist statues.

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Where it is

Region

Gunsan, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산