Unheungsa Temple Site

Unheungsa Temple is said to have been founded by the monk Wonhyo during the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla (r. 579–632). It was later rebuilt at the end of Goryeo by the monk Jigong, but was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasions of Korea, and was rebuilt again in 1614, the sixth year of King Gwanghaegun, by the monk Daehui. Records concerning Unheungsa survive in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and the Sinjeung Dongguk yeoji seungnam. However, according to the record in the 1749 Hakseongji, a local gazetteer, compiled in the 25th year of King Yeongjo, the temple had already fallen into ruin by that time, so it is presumed to have been abandoned before then. During the Joseon period, Unheungsa was well known for the publication of Buddhist woodblock-printed scriptures, and many such scriptures were produced there between 1672 and 1709. Most temple sutra woodblocks carry a colophon, and the date and place of publication and the list of donors recorded at the end of each text provide important information about the circumstances of publication at the time. The records recovered from the woodblock prints of the Unheungsa site come to sixteen titles across 673 printing blocks in all, quite a varied range, and these woodblocks are now kept at Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan. In 2001, an academic excavation was carried out as part of a project to restore the cultural heritage site. As a result, many important remains and artefacts were identified, including the foundations of seven buildings, six budo (stone stupas enshrining the remains of eminent monks), and four water tanks.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ulju, Ulsan

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물