Seok Flagpole of Tongdosa Temple, Yangsan

The stone flagpole (dangan) at Tongdosa Temple has had its entire base rebuilt in a later period. The support pillars were assembled together with the flagpole, but only the section exposed above ground has been dressed; the portion buried from the topsoil to a depth of about 2 metres underground remains unworked natural stone. The base as a whole is presumed to have been altered and supplemented during a later restoration. Long rectangular stones were laid to outline the lower platform on all four sides, as in the base of a stone pagoda, and then, set closer together, shorter rectangular stones were used to form the platform itself; grooves are cut into the platform stones on both the north and south sides so that the support pillars fit into them. Two oval holes were made at the top and bottom of the pillars, rectangular stones were added running east–west, and a pedestal was then placed at the centre, on which the flagpole was erected. An inscription reading "Namu Amitabul" (Homage to Amitabha Buddha) is incised in the centre of the flagpole. The stone flagpole of Tongdosa Temple is not in its original form and has been somewhat altered through later repairs. Surviving examples of such flagpoles are rare, and, judging from the structure of the base and the scale of the pillars, it is valuable as a work believed to date from the late Goryeo to early Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산