Seated Wooden Buddha of Hwanhuisa Temple (Amitabha Buddha)

The wooden seated Amitabha Buddha kept in the Daeungjeon Hall of Hwanhuisa Temple has lost its halo and pedestal, but the body of the Buddha survives intact and is regarded as a representative work of the mid-17th century. The head is rounded, in a domed shape, without a pronounced ushnisha; at the crown sits a low, round finial and at the centre of the hairline a long, crescent-shaped finial, and the spiral curls of hair are large and set loosely apart. The face as a whole is rounded, close to an oval shape. A small urna sits between the brows; the eyes are full, the mouth is small with a raised philtrum, and the nose projects out from between the brows — features that clearly show the characteristics of the 17th century. The upper body is somewhat elongated, with both shoulders rounded and slightly drawn in, and the chest is narrow and flat. The lower body, seated in full lotus position with the left foot placed over the right leg, is broad and high, giving a sturdy impression. In the mudra, the left hand rests palm-up on the sole of the right foot with the thumb and middle finger touching, while the right hand is raised over the knee, palm facing down, thumb and middle finger touching, in the manner of the earth-touching gesture, forming the Amitabha mudra. This is the same as the mudra of the principal Amitabha image in a portable Amitabha shrine made by the sculptor-monk Hyeonwon, both showing the distinctive lower-grade, middle-rebirth mudra of Amitabha. This wooden Buddha is closely related to wooden Buddha images of the mid-17th century and is accordingly judged to date from around that time; it was handed down at Simwonsa Temple in Cheorwon, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, before being moved and enshrined at Hwanhuisa Temple around the time of the Korean War, and is valued as important material for the study of wooden Buddha images in the central region.

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Where it is

Region

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산