Nammudaeseongillo King Bodhisattva Beon of Yongjusa Temple, Hwaseong

In Buddhism, a beon (幡) - a long ritual banner - serves to raise the standing of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and is used differently according to the nature of the Buddhist assembly. The Inrowang Bodhisattva (引路王菩薩) is the bodhisattva who guides the souls of the dead to the Pure Land. The "Nammudaeseongillo King Bodhisattva Beon" of Yongjusa Temple is made up of a banner head, a banner body, banner streamers, and a banner tail. An Inrowang beon is composed basically of the five cardinal colours - red, green, yellow, white and black - and the banner head at the very top is generally rendered in a dark colour. On the black banner head at the top of the Yongjusa banner, four dragons are arranged in a circle together with clouds, waves and rocks. Of the four dragons, the one on the right facing forward has only half its face depicted. All four dragons are rendered with five claws, from which it is presumed that this banner was a gift bestowed by the royal court. At the centre of the banner body, made of gold silk patterned with clouds and the seven-treasure (chilbo) motif, the characters "Nammudaeseong Inrowang Bosal" (南無大聖引路王菩薩, "Homage to the Great Sage, the King Bodhisattva who Guides the Way") are embroidered in coloured thread, with red banner streamers placed on either side and green tassels decorating the area beneath them. Two long cushion-knot ornaments are also hung down in front of the streamers. On the blue banner tail at the very bottom, lotus patterns are embroidered in a realistic style.

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Where it is

Region

Hwaseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산