Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha of Sudasa Temple, Gumi

Yeonaksan Mountain's Sudasa Temple was founded in 830, the fifth year of King Heungdeok of Silla, by Seon Master Jingam. It was later damaged by fire in 976, the first year of King Gyeongjong of Goryeo, leaving only Geungnakjeon Hall and the Cheongcheollyo quarters standing. Extensive reconstruction was then carried out in 1185, the fifteenth year of King Myeongjong, by Great Master Gagwon. Most of the halls were later swept away by a great flood in 1273, the fourteenth year of King Wonjong, and in the Joseon period Master Samyeong rebuilt the temple and gave it its present name, Sudasa Temple. The Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha enshrined in Daeungjeon Hall has recently been regilded, so that it scarcely looks like wood on the surface, though close inspection reveals the grain of the pine underneath. On the crown of the head, among the snail-shell curls, there are slight traces of an usnisha; the narrowed eyes, nose and lips are carved with refined technique, and the full, gentle face, short ears and the three folds at the neck combine harmoniously to give the image an air of dignity. The robe is worn covering both shoulders, its drapery folds carved with sophistication, and the knees are high and broad, lending the figure a sense of stability. According to the temple, it was originally part of a triad, but the two attendant bodhisattvas were later taken elsewhere: the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva is now enshrined at Wongaksa Temple in Gumi, and the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was moved to Nubongam Hermitage in Daegu. The votive objects once placed inside this Amitabha Buddha were stolen, but fortunately a record of the statue's making was found among the votive objects inside the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva at Wongaksa Temple, providing key evidence for the date and history of the Amitabha Buddha. According to this record, in the ninth month of the sixth year of the Shunzhi era (1649), a triad of the Amitabha Buddha and two attendant bodhisattvas was made at Sudasa Temple on Yeonaksan Mountain, west of Ilseon-bu. In form, the Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha of Sudasa Temple leans slightly forward. Its relatively high, broad knees clearly display the characteristic features of wooden Buddhist statues of the late Joseon period. In particular, the production record among the votive objects inside the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva at Wongaksa Temple gives the sixth year of Shunzhi as the date of production, and examination of the paper on which the record is written confirms a date around the seventeenth century. Art-historically, this statue is considered an excellent work displaying the characteristic features of late Joseon Buddhist statues.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gumi, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산