Jupo-ri Maitreya Bul and Three-story Stone Pagoda

A three-storey stone pagoda remaining on the old site of Hwangsansa Temple, together with a Buddha statue carved into a high peak of the hill behind, some distance from the temple site. The pagoda, whose stones lay scattered about the temple site, has been re-erected, and now consists only of the three-storey body, the foundation that once supported the whole weight having been lost. Each body stone of the pagoda has, at every corner, a carving imitating a pillar. The thick-looking roof stones have three-tiered eave supports carved on their undersides, and the eaves run horizontal before curving gently upward at the four corners. On top of the third-storey roof stone sits a large finial in the shape of a flower bud. Compared with the thick roof stones, the body stones are slender and tall, giving the whole pagoda an elongated appearance, and it is presumed to be a work of the Goryeo period. The Buddha statue sits on a richly decorated lotus pedestal; the square face, with large eyes, nose, mouth and ears carved boldly, gives a rustic, folk impression. The thinly carved robe drapes over both shoulders, but the folds are not clearly rendered, and the shape of the hands is likewise indistinct. Overall the body is small in relation to the head, and the arms and hands are crudely and plainly rendered, suggesting that it was carved in the early Goryeo period. It provides good material for the study of the style of stone Buddhas of the Goryeo period, which was becoming localised at the time.

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Where it is

Region

Wonju, Gangwon

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료