Inscribed "Gwangseo16nyeon" Guardian Deities Painting of Tongdosa Temple, Yangsan

A sinjungdo, or guardian deities painting, is a devotional Buddhist painting that depicts, in an easily understood form, the sinjung, the guardian deities venerated in Mahayana Buddhism as protectors of the Buddhist Law. This example is a hanging scroll held in the Tongdosa Temple Seongbo Museum, painted in colour on silk, measuring 155.5 cm by 144.8 cm. It is in generally good condition, though the upper section has discoloured through damp and part of the lower edge near the mounting rod has been damaged. In its composition, two buddhas are enshrined side by side in the upper register, surrounded by heavenly beings, while at the centre of the lower register sits Dongjin Bosal wearing a winged helmet, flanked by guardian figures; the visual focus of the painting converges on Dongjin Bosal. According to an inscription on the painting, it was produced in 1890, the twenty-seventh year of Emperor Gojong of Joseon, by the monk-painter (geumeo) Bonggi, and was originally enshrined at Okcheonam Hermitage on Hamwolsan Mountain (in Yeonam-dong, Jung-gu, Ulsan). As the painting survives in good condition and its inscription remains legible, it is valuable as research material for the study of late Joseon Buddhist painting.

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Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료