Seated Stone Vairocana Buddha in Mochung-dong, Cheongju

This Buddha image is said to have been moved during the Japanese colonial period to the site of a Japanese shrine in Dangsan Park, Daeseong-dong, Cheongju, and after liberation relocated to Cheonghwasa Temple (completely destroyed by fire in 2002). Its original location is unknown, and as no historical records survive, nothing at all can be established of the statue's provenance or history. Since the site of Cheonghwasa was not itself an old temple site, it is presumed that the statue was moved from a temple site near Mt Uamsan in Cheongju to Dangsan Park, and later relocated again to its present site. The measured dimensions are: total height 121 cm, crown height 16 cm, head height 30 cm, head width 17 cm, body height 44 cm, shoulder width 32 cm, knee width 48 cm, pedestal height 21 cm, pedestal width 60 cm, and halo width 12 cm. This seated stone Vairocana Buddha was carved from a single stone comprising the Buddha's body, halo (mandorla) and pedestal. The three-sided crown on its head is very unusual, and the face is rather elongated. The neck bears clearly and finely carved samdo, the three lines symbolising the three realms of existence, and the robe is worn covering both shoulders, its folds symmetrical left and right. The hand gesture (mudra) is the jigwonin, the wisdom-fist mudra symbolising the unity of Buddha and sentient beings, and the figure appears to sit in the full lotus position, though damage to the knees obscures this. The halo is a full-body mandorla with a flame pattern around its outer edge; the body halo and head halo are rendered separately, though there is a crack in the upper section. The pedestal is a round lotus pedestal, presumed to be its upper stone, with the lower and middle stones missing. The original location and provenance are unknown, but overall the carving technique is excellent and the condition is relatively good.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheongju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산