Seojabok

This mireuk stands inside Yonghwasa Temple, and is said to have once guarded the interior of Jeju fortress from its western side. It is known as "Jabok-sin" (the god of wealth and fortune), "Jabok-mireuk", "Mireukbul" (the Maitreya Buddha) or "Keun Eoreun" (the Great Elder). It stands 273 cm tall, with a face 135 cm long and a lower-body circumference of 315 cm, set on a pedestal stone 66 cm high. It wears a stone hat of the same form as a dol hareubang, and its gentle, downward gaze, prominent nose, softly closed mouth and large ears give it a compassionate expression. Beside it stands a boy figure symbolising a phallus, 75 cm high and 100 cm in circumference; it is believed that a woman who sits astride it and prays earnestly will bear a son. Every year, on the 15th day of the second month and the 15th day of the eleventh month by the lunar calendar, a Buddhist rite for the mireuk is held inside the main hall. Its exact date of production is unknown, but it is presumed to date from the Goryeo period, and it is a fine example of the fusion of Buddhism with folk belief in guarding a town and wishing for sons.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jeju City, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산