Seated Hamyang Anguksa Temple Wooden Amitabha Buddha

This Buddha image is enshrined as the principal figure of a triad on the central altar of Geungnakjeon Hall at Anguksa Temple. It underwent regilding in 2004 and remains in generally good condition. The cavity for votive objects in the base of the statue is small, measuring 17 cm by 9 cm, and is now sealed with hanji (traditional mulberry paper). When the cavity was opened during the regilding, it was found that the objects inside had already been stolen, leaving nothing behind. The Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha of Anguksa Temple, Hamyang, sits cross-legged with its back upright and its head tilted slightly forward. Its hand gesture is the Amitabha mudra: both hands are raised slightly above the knees, the right hand showing its back upward and the left its palm upward, thumb and middle finger touching to form the gesture of the lowest grade of rebirth. The face is relatively large in proportion to the body, the shoulders broad and dignified; at a total height of 100.5 cm and a knee width of 67 cm, the figure is well balanced and stable. The head, covered with tight snail-shell curls, has a high ushnisha whose boundary with the head is indistinct; below it sits a mid-crown finial, and at the crown of the head a cylindrical top finial — features typical of late Joseon Buddhist statues. The nearly square face has a rounded chin and full cheeks. The forehead slopes gently down to the eyebrows without any sharp break, and the horizontal eyes are not long. The nose runs straight down from the forehead with a rounded tip, and the incised lines of the nostrils on either side are carved relatively deeply in a squared curve. The broad philtrum line is gently carved, and the smiling face gives an overall impression of softness and compassion. The robe is worn in a modified both-shoulders-covered style: an inner vest covers the right shoulder, over which the outer robe is draped, lightly covering the right shoulder before its hem is drawn across the front of the belly and trails down long behind the left shoulder. A distinctive feature is that a single fold of the outer robe on the right shoulder is emphasised, standing apart like a separate collar. The inner vest worn beneath the outer robe on the right shoulder falls in a straight line and is tucked neatly into the robe; the semicircular hem of the vest hanging in front of the belly and the hem of the outer robe hang in a symmetrical, formalised arrangement, a feature frequently seen from the latter half of the 17th century onward. The undergarment worn horizontally below the chest is tied with a sash, its hem folded and left hanging long, rendered so as to stand out like a thick band, differing from the lotus-leaf shape or diagonal folding commonly seen in late Joseon statues. The hem of the skirt covering the crossed legs has its innermost central fold spread the widest, while the rest is divided evenly into three or four folds that ripple like waves. The broad sleeve covering the left knee hangs down below the knee, and although its folds are otherwise symmetrical, one end of the hem is given an S-shaped variation. Although the production record for this statue has been lost and its exact date of creation cannot be determined, its stable, well-balanced form and the soft, compassionate expression of its face are valuable evidence of the sculptor's outstanding skill.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hamyang, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산