Inscribed "Gagyeonggunyeon" King Cheoljong of Beopjusa Temple, Boeun

The bell of Beopjusa Temple is a bronze bell cast in the seventh month of 1804, the fourth year of King Sunjo of Joseon, using 4,000 geun (a traditional unit of weight) of bronze, funded by one chief donor and fifteen further donors. Incised on the lower part of the bell's body is an inscription which translates as: "Jiaqing 9th year, gapja, seventh month, a day: the great bell of Great Beopjusa Temple, weighing 4,000 geun," together with the names of the donors, the abbot of the time, and the makers, so that the date of manufacture can be known with certainty — making this a bell that can be firmly dated to the late Joseon period. It measures 212.5 cm in height, with a diameter of 82 cm at the top of the body and 140 cm at the bottom. The overall silhouette of the body is somewhat heavy-set; three raised horizontal bands divide the body into large sections, and the hanging loop at the top takes the form of a pair of dragons. As a Buddhist bell of the Joseon period, the decoration on its body is only faintly rendered and the casting technique is not outstanding, but because the inscription clearly identifies the donors, the abbot of the time, the makers and the date of casting, and because it names the temple itself, the bell is of considerable value for preservation.

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Where it is

Region

Boeun, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산