Temple Bell held at Anguksa Temple

This is a late Joseon-period temple bell (beomjong) cast in 1788, the twelfth year of King Jeongjo, now housed at the rear of the bell pavilion at Anguksa Temple in Muju. The dragon-shaped hook (yongnyu) that would originally have been mounted on the crown plate (cheonpan) no longer survives, so its original form is unknown, but the presence of three holes in the crown plate suggests it probably had a hook in the form of a pair of dragons. Excluding the hook, the bell stands 83 cm tall, a medium-sized bell in good condition overall. The crown plate is low, with three holes pierced through it: two for fixing the twin dragon hook, and the third apparently made, in place of a sound tube (eumtong), to enhance the bell's resonance. This is confirmed by the fact that other bells made by the same bell-founder, Yi Man-jung, also have an extra hole for this resonating effect in addition to the holes for the hook, giving a total of three holes in the crown plate. The body of the bell flares slightly at the mouth, and the join between the crown plate and the body is marked by a fine incised line. The upper band is decorated with two rows of circular medallions containing Sanskrit characters, and below it, at a slight interval, bands of nipple clusters (yukwak) alternate with bodhisattva figures. The nipple clusters are bordered with a graceful honeysuckle scroll pattern in fine line, and inside each, a raised nipple sits atop a ten-petalled lotus, giving the impression of a blossoming lotus flower. Between the nipple-cluster bands stand four cast figures of bodhisattvas in elegant standing poses, their bodies turned slightly to the left. Each bodhisattva wears a crown, has its hands joined in prayer, and stands upon a cloud; the ornate yet finely detailed crown and the flowing folds of the robes suggest these figures were made by a highly skilled craftsman. The casting inscription records, alongside the founders Yi Man-jung and Gwon Dong-sam, the name of the engraver Cheoseong, suggesting that Cheoseong carved the bodhisattva figures. Beside the bodhisattva figures, a list of donors' names is carved in shallow intaglio, which appears to have been added at a later date. Around the centre and lower part of the body run raised horizontal lines, and at the centre, the casting inscription is cast in relief within rectangular frames. The casting inscription is engraved across thirteen such rectangular frames in total, one of which reads "...on a day in the third month of the mujin year, the fifty-third year of the Qianlong reign era [1788], the great bell of Anguksa Temple on Jeoksangsan Mountain in Muju was recast... engraver Cheoseong... assistant founder Gwon Dong-sam, head founder Yi Man-jung...", showing that in 1788 Cheoseong, Gwon Dong-sam and Yi Man-jung recast an older bell into the great bell of Anguksa Temple. The head founder Yi Man-jung also cast the bells of Okcheonsa Temple in Goseong (1776) and Beopjusa Temple (1785), among others, while the assistant founder Gwon Dong-sam cast the bells of Bocheonsa Temple (1794) and Seonunsa Temple in Gochang (1818), among others, as private craftsmen; this bell is a highly important work in that it allows the lineage of private bell-founders of the late Joseon period, running from Yi Man-jung to Gwon Dong-sam, to be traced.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Muju, Jeonbuk

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료