Standing Stone Buddha of Yonghwasa Temple, Chungju

Yonghwasa Temple was founded in 1925 on the spot where a stone Buddha, which had been standing in the open, was discovered, and it now belongs to the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism. The standing stone Buddha of Yonghwasa Temple has had its previously buried legs exposed and is now enshrined on a newly made pedestal. The face is badly worn, but the rest of the figure is relatively well preserved and shows fine carving technique. A boat-shaped halo was carved from a single block of stone, with the Buddha carved in relief in front of it. The back of the halo has been left rough and simply rounded off, without any special decoration or carving. The edges of the head halo and body halo, and the head of the Buddha, are slightly damaged. Although it is a Buddha image, the head appears to be shown wearing something like a crown. The face has a round, gentle-looking chin; the features are so worn that their exact form cannot be made out, but the mouth carries a soft smile. The ears hang down long to the shoulders, and the neck is short, without the samdo, the three folds traditionally carved on a Buddha's neck. The shoulders are broad and full, giving a dignified impression, and the details of the body are rendered with relative accuracy. The right hand is raised to chest height with the palm turned outward, though the shape of the fingers is not clear. The left hand appears to hold a medicine jar in front of the chest, suggesting that the image represents Yaksayeorae, the Medicine Buddha. The robe is worn in the pyeondan-ugyeon style, covering only the right shoulder, and its folds flow softly. The feet of the statue are currently buried within the cement pedestal and cannot be examined. It is an image of the Medicine Buddha, with its halo intact and a medicine jar in hand. Although heavily worn overall, the rounded face, the full and ample body, and the soft rendering of the drapery folds show the characteristics of Buddhist sculpture of the Goryeo period. The pedestal has been lost and the face is worn, but the overall carving technique, together with what appears to have been a slightly raised chin compared with other Buddhist images, gives the figure a dignified bearing; and from the form of the two hands and the well-preserved lines of the drapery, the statue is presumed to have been made during the Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산