Seated Anseong Chiljangsa Temple Daeungjeon Hall Wooden Shakyamuni Buddha Triad

This is one of the representative medium-sized wooden Buddhist statues of the late Joseon period, notable for having both a clearly known date of production and even the name of the monk who made it. The principal Buddha of this triad sits with the right hand extended straight down below the knee — the mudra (hand gesture) unique to Shakyamuni Buddha known as the earth-touching gesture (hangma chokjiin), by which the Buddha is said to have subdued Mara — and for this reason the triad has long been called the Shakyamuni Triad. Then, in 2007, when the gilding on the surface of the triad was renewed, a written vow (balwonmun, a text recording a wish or prayer) was discovered on the left attendant bodhisattva reading "Left Assistant Maitreya Bodhisattva." This revealed that the triad is in fact a so-called "prophecy triad" (sugi samjonbul) — a grouping in which bodhisattvas who have received a prophecy that they will become buddhas in the future flank the central Buddha — with Maitreya Bodhisattva attending Shakyamuni on the left and Jehwagalla Bodhisattva on the right. The statues were carved in 1685, the eleventh year of King Sukjong, by a team of eight sculptor-monks including Mail and Cheongi. The sculptor-monks Mail and Cheongi in particular belonged to the lineage of the monk Hyehui, who was active as a sculptor across the country in the mid-17th century. The principal Buddha wears a faint smile at the corners of the mouth, but overall its expressionless, square face, block-like body, and flattened form with the curves of the body suppressed are characteristic features of Buddhist statues of the late Joseon period.

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Where it is

Region

Anseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산