Myeongbujeon Hall Stone Ksitigarbha Triad and Ten Kings Statues of Deoksa Temple, Cheongdo

Myeongbu is the realm where the dead must dwell after death, and a Myeongbujeon Hall is a space set up to guide the deceased toward a better rebirth. At the centre of this Myeongbujeon Hall stands a seated statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, flanked by standing statues of the ghost king Mudok Gwiwang and the Venerable Domyeong, forming a triad; to either side are arranged the seated statues of the Ten Kings, together with one court recorder, one judge, two messengers and ten child attendants - twenty-eight figures in all. According to a history recovered from the interior deposit of the statues, these images were originally enshrined at Cheonjusa Temple on Hwaaksan Mountain in Cheongdo, and were later moved and re-enshrined at Deoksa Temple, though it is not known when. The material is bulseok, a soft, chalk-like stone, and the statues date to 1678, the fourth year of King Sukjong, making them a rare and valuable example among Joseon-period Buddhist statues carved from this material, given how early they date. Recovered from inside the statues were four volumes of scripture, including the Lotus Sutra, and a votive text (paper, 43.5 x 52 cm), which have likewise been designated Gyeongsangbuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage together with the statues.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산