Yangsan Tongdosa Temple Changnyeong Pogyodang Hall Seated Wooden Shakyamuni Buddha

This is a wooden seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha enshrined in the main hall of the Changnyeong Pogyodang, a mission hall of Tongdosa Temple. The statue was originally made and enshrined as part of a triad at Gwallyongsa Temple in Changnyeong; it is said that after the Korean War only this one image was moved to the present Changnyeong Pogyodang. The statue sits in a half-lotus posture, its upright upper body inclined slightly forward as if looking down, giving an overall sense of balance. The usnisha, the cranial protuberance, is not clearly defined, though both the topmost and middle cranial jewels are shown, and the tightly curled hair is densely rendered. The face is square with a rounded jawline; the prominent, large urna between the brows, the narrow, elongated eyes, the gently sloping bridge of the nose, the closed lips and the smile spreading at both corners of the mouth combine harmoniously to give a soft impression. On the short neck, the three curved lines known as samdo are lightly incised, but only on the front. The robe, a thick outer garment covering both shoulders, is distinctive in that on the right side it is draped down only from the shoulder to the elbow. Beneath it, a horizontal inner garment is visible below the flat chest, its folds taking the form of flower petals. The drapery folds are rendered simply, concentrated around the shoulders and knees, and the hem of the outer robe flows naturally beneath the right foot exposed by the cross-legged posture. It is particularly unusual that the drapery folds below both knees are shaped like flower petals. The hands form the bhumisparsha mudra, the earth-touching gesture: the right hand rests neatly on the calf, while the left hand, its first and third fingers touching, is placed on the right foot. According to the record of the statue's creation found inside the image, it was made in 1730, the sixth year of King Yeongjo of Joseon, by the master sculptor-monk Hacheon together with assistant sculptor-monks Deukchal, Seongchan and Jonghye, and was enshrined at Gwallyongsa Temple in Changnyeong. It is an outstanding example of eighteenth-century, late Joseon Buddhist statuary, and is valued as academic material necessary for the study of the history of Joseon Buddhist sculpture.

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Where it is

Region

Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산