Inscribed "Dongchi3nyeon" 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 144.0 cm by 176.0 cm. In its composition, Dongjin Bosal, wearing a winged helmet, occupies the centre of the upper register flanked by two bodhisattvas, with the guardian deities arranged below. The detail is finely and elaborately rendered. According to an inscription on the painting, it was produced in the winter of 1864, the first year of Emperor Gojong of Joseon, by the monk-painters (geumeo) Ha-eun Wisang, Hyehwa and Bongyeon, among others. The painting is also known to have been made for and enshrined at Baengnyeonam Hermitage, a hermitage within the grounds of Tongdosa Temple, one of Korea's foremost temples. Although there are circular stains and some areas of paint loss, it remains an important resource for research into late Joseon Buddhist painting and the social conditions of the period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료