Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha of Muamsa Temple, Jecheon

Muamsa Temple stands on Geumsusan Mountain and is said to have been founded during the Silla dynasty, though the exact date of its founding is unknown. It has been confirmed, however, that Geungnakjeon Hall, the temple's present main hall, was rebuilt in 1740, the 16th year of King Yeongjo, and this seated wooden Buddha image is thought to have been made at the same time as the hall was built. Besides the seated wooden Buddha image, Muamsa Temple also preserves a bronze bodhisattva head and a jeonpae (a memorial tablet inscribed with a wish for the king's long life). The seated wooden Buddha image enshrined in Geungnakjeon Hall is in good condition; the hall was recently repaired and refurbished, and the wooden image was regilded at that time. The image is relatively large, carved from a single log, with the two hands made separately and fitted in place. The head is covered with snail-shell curls modelled in clay, and the broad, flat face has a gentle, benign expression. The upper body is elongated and the legs are not especially wide, yet the whole figure is full in volume and full of life. The robe is draped over both shoulders, and across the chest the hem of an undergarment worn horizontally is visible, decorated with a lotus design worth noting. Between the right foot, which rests on the left knee, and the knee itself, folds of drapery flowing down from the abdomen cover the knee. In the hand gestures, the right hand is raised to shoulder height, palm outward, thumb and middle finger joined, while the left hand rests lightly on the right knee, palm upward, likewise joining thumb and middle finger. Although the votive deposits once placed inside this seated wooden Buddha image have been lost, it is a typical example of a late Joseon wooden seated Buddha, relatively large in scale, and its benign face and the volume of its body demonstrate fine craftsmanship.

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Where it is

Region

Jecheon, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산