The Nation's Finest Seated Maitreya Triad Buddha to Become a Treasure

Cultural Heritage Administration Announces Treasure Designation for Stone Maitreya Triad Statue at Jangchanggok, Namsan, Gyeongju
Symbol of 7th-Century Maitreya Faith and Religious Practices
Faces Adorable and Innocent Like a Child... Known as 'Samhwaryeong Aegibuddha'

Stone Seated Maitreya Triad Statue at Jangchang Valley, Namsan, Gyeongju

One of the representative sculptures of Silla, the ‘Gyeongju Namsan Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad (慶州 南山 長倉谷 石造彌勒如來三尊像),’ is designated as a Treasure. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 1st that it will finalize the designation of this cultural property as a Treasure after collecting opinions from various sectors for a month and undergoing a review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

The Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad is a Buddhist statue discovered in 1924 in a collapsed stone chamber near the summit of Jangchang-gok, a tributary valley of Gyeongju Namsan. Together with two attendant Bodhisattva statues that had been kept at a private house in Wolnam-ri, Naenam-myeon, Gyeongju, it forms a complete triad. The estimated production period is the 7th century.

This cultural property is evaluated as a symbol indicating Maitreya faith and religious practices during the Three Kingdoms period. According to the ‘Pagoda Images’ section of the Samguk Yusa, in the 13th year of Queen Seondeok’s reign (644), the monk Saeng discovered a Maitreya statue in a valley of Gyeongju Namsan and enshrined it at Samhwaryeong (三花嶺). Samhwaryeong collectively refers to Geumobong, Gowibong, and the peak located at the triangular position formed by these two peaks in Gyeongju Namsan. It is said to have been a place where Hwarang practiced their arts and where Maitreya thought flourished during the Silla period.

The Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad is also mentioned in the ‘Records of the Strange’ section of the Samguk Yusa. King Gyeongdeok summoned the monk Chungdamsa (忠談師) to a pavilion, and Chungdamsa was carrying a basket full of tea utensils. When King Gyeongdeok asked why, Chungdamsa said, “I brew tea on March 3rd and September 9th to offer to the Maitreya Triad at Samhwaryeong in Namsan, and today I am on my way after offering tea.”

This cultural property is also called the ‘Samhwaryeong Baby Buddha’ because its appearance is cute and innocent like a child. However, since no materials have been found to support Samhwaryeong as the original location recorded in the Samguk Yusa, the statue is named after the valley where it was discovered.

The Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad consists of the main Maitreya Buddha seated on a chair and standing attendant Bodhisattvas on the left and right (Bodhisattvas who assist the main Buddha on both sides). The seated Buddha statues, which became popular after the Northern and Southern Dynasties period in China (5th?6th century), often symbolize Maitreya Buddha. The Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad is the oldest and rarest example among seated Buddha statues in Korea.

The main Buddha has a serene face with eyes gently lowered in contemplation. In contrast, the two Bodhisattvas wear bright smiles on their lips. They are about 1 meter tall, modest in size, and wear crowns. A Cultural Heritage Administration official explained, “The Buddha and Bodhisattva statues show body proportions roughly equivalent to a four-head-tall child” and “the style was popular from the Northern Zhou period of China in the 6th?7th centuries through the Sui dynasty.” He added, “It reflects the religious life of the Silla people and holds high academic and artistic value as the oldest seated Maitreya triad Buddha in Korea.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.