Hapcheon Haeinsa Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad Designated as Treasure

A Work Accurately Depicting the Amitabha Triad Iconography... Estimated to Have Been Created in the Late 15th Century
"Preserved Exactly as It Was at the Time of Creation, with Production Background Confirmed Through Burial Artifacts"
Burial Artifacts and Scriptures Also Scheduled to Be Designated as Treasures, "Very Well Preserved"

Haeinsa Temple, Hwandangam, Hapcheon - Wooden Amitabha Triad Statue

A Buddha statue and its associated relics and scriptures, enshrined for over 400 years at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon, are set to be designated as treasures. On the 1st, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced the preliminary designation of the ‘Wooden Amitabha Triad Statue and Associated Relics of Wondangam at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon’ and the ‘Associated Scriptures of the Wooden Amitabha Triad Statue of Wondangam at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon’ as treasures. Opinions from various sectors will be gathered over a month, and the final decision will be made after review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

The ‘Wooden Amitabha Triad Statue and Associated Relics of Wondangam at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon’ refers to the triad Buddha statues enshrined in Bogwangjeon Hall of Wondangam Hermitage, an annex within the Haeinsa Temple precincts, along with the relics kept with them. Wondangam is said to have been founded as a royal temple during the reign of Queen Jindeok of Silla, serving as a royal prayer hall (願刹, a hall where prayers for the deceased were offered). It is also famous as the place where Monk Hakjo (學祖大師) undertook the restoration of the temple, printed the Tripitaka Koreana, and created the statues of Vairocana Buddha in Beopbojeon and Daejeokgwangjeon Halls.

Hapcheon Haeinsa Wondangam Wooden Amitabha Triad Buddha Statue Sacred Relics (Horyeongtong)

The wooden Amitabha triad statue located here is regarded as a masterpiece that accurately embodies the Amitabha triad iconography. It consists of a seated Amitabha Buddha making the preaching mudra (설법인, the hand gesture symbolizing Buddha’s teaching), Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva wearing a crown, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with a shaved head. A Cultural Heritage Administration official explained, “This iconographic style first appeared in the late Goryeo period and was passed down until the late Joseon period, but surviving examples are rare.”

The estimated creation period is the late 15th century, inferred from the style of the statues and the royal patronage during the restoration of Haeinsa Temple around 1490. The relics found inside the statues also suggest involvement of royal figures who commissioned the wooden Vairocana Buddha statues in Beopbojeon and Daejeokgwangjeon Halls.

All the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues have round faces with delicately expressed facial features. Their expressions are uniformly gentle, suggesting they were made by the same artist. Another common feature is the lotus pedestal where the upturned lotus (앙련, lotus facing upward) and overturned lotus (복련, lotus turned upside down) face each other. A Cultural Heritage Administration official noted, “This style, influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, was popular in the Ming Dynasty and reflects the exchange with Chinese Buddhism at the time.”

Haeinsa Wondangam Wooden Amitabha Triad Statue Sacred Texts [Daebangwangbul Hwaeomgyeong Authentic Edition Jeongwonwon]

The draped collar folds fluttering lightly and the realistically sculpted flowing robes follow the body’s organic lines, characteristics typical of royal-commissioned Buddha statues from the mid to late 15th century. Similar sculptural beauty can be seen in the ‘Wooden Amitabha Buddha Statue of Heukseoksa Temple in Yeongju (National Treasure No. 282)’ and the ‘Wooden Manjusri Youth Attendant Statue of Sangwonsa Temple in Pyeongchang (National Treasure No. 221)’. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “This statue shows the Amitabha triad iconography consisting of Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas, which became prominent from the late Goryeo period. It also clearly reflects the stylistic features of 15th-century Buddhist statues.” He added, “It has sufficient value as a treasure because it remains in its original enshrinement location, preserves its original form, and the relics inside confirm its production background and participants.”

The associated scriptures designated as treasures along with the wooden Amitabha triad statue consist of twenty-nine sutra fascicles. These include twenty-three original fascicles of the ‘Great Avatamsaka Sutra’, five revised fascicles, and one fascicle of the ‘Je Dharani’. The carving and printing dates are estimated to be the mid-13th century and late 14th to early 15th century, respectively. The scriptures have never been unsealed since the statue’s creation, so their preservation state is excellent. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “It is very rare to find a complete set of the Avatamsaka Sutra carved during the Goryeo period.”

Haeinsa Wondangam Wooden Amitabha Triad Statues Inner Scriptures (Jedarinikyung)

The covers of the twenty-three original fascicles of the ‘Great Avatamsaka Sutra’ are in three colors: dark navy, light navy, and yellow. The five revised fascicles were produced in two colors: dark navy and yellow. Both the original and revised versions contain information that helps understand the ideological tendencies of Haeinsa Temple at the time, the reality of publishing and printing culture, and correlations with individual woodblocks included in the ‘Hapcheon Haeinsa Goryeo Woodblocks (National Treasure No. 206)’.

The ‘Je Dharani’ was made in a pocket-sized format (수진본, a small book designed to be carried inside a sleeve). Its production date is estimated to be the 14th century. It has a precise carving date of the first year of King U of Goryeo (1375), and it is the first time a transformation painting (변상도, a painting illustrating Buddhist doctrines) depicting the three Buddhas (Amitabha, Vairocana, and Shakyamuni) and the Marici deity has been confirmed, making it highly valuable for preservation. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “Among similar cultural properties known so far, this is the best preserved, and its completeness is outstanding as it was discovered together with the same Buddha statues.”

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