Designation of the Nation's Finest Seated Maitreya Triad Buddha as a Treasure

Jeongjo's Royal Guard Unit Headquarters Green Architecture Also Designated as Treasure...

Gyeongju Namsan Jangchang-gok Stone Seated Maitreya Triad Statue

One of the representative sculptures of Silla, the ‘Gyeongju Namsan Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad Statue (慶州 南山 長倉谷 石造彌勒如來三尊像),’ and an architectural painting depicting the main headquarters of King Jeongjo’s royal guard unit, the ‘Jangyongyeong Headquarters Diagram Set (壯勇營 本營圖形 一括),’ have been designated as Treasures. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 27th that the two cultural properties were designated as Treasure No. 2071 and No. 2070, respectively.

The Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad Statue was a Buddhist statue located in a stone chamber near the summit of Jangchang-gok, a tributary valley of Namsan in Gyeongju. It is estimated to have been created in the 7th century. It is regarded as a symbol representing Maitreya faith and religious practices during the Three Kingdoms period. According to the ‘Tower Images’ section of the Samguk Yusa, in the 13th year of Queen Seondeok’s reign (644), a monk named Saeng discovered a Maitreya statue in the valley of Namsan in Gyeongju and enshrined it at Samhwaryeong (三花嶺). Samhwaryeong collectively refers to the peaks of Geumobong and Gowibong in Gyeongju Namsan, as well as the peak located at the triangular position between these two peaks. It is said to have been a place where Hwarang (flower youths) practiced their arts during the Silla period and where Maitreya ideology flourished.

The Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad Statue is also mentioned in the ‘Gi-i (奇異)’ 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 (dagu, tools necessary for brewing and drinking tea). When King Gyeongdeok asked the reason, Chungdamsa replied, “I brew tea on March 3rd and September 9th to offer to the Three Maitreya Buddhas at Samhwaryeong in Namsan, and today I am on my way after making the offering.”

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

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 substantiate 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 Statue consists of the main seated Maitreya Buddha and standing bodhisattvas on the left and right sides (wisa bosal, bodhisattvas who assist the main Buddha on both sides). The seated Buddha statues, which became popular in China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (5th?6th century), often symbolized Maitreya Buddha. Among Korea’s seated Buddha statues, the Jangchang-gok Stone Maitreya Triad Statue is one of the oldest and rarest examples.

The main Buddha statue has a serene face with eyes gently lowered in contemplation. In contrast, the two bodhisattva statues wear bright smiles on their lips. The statues are about 1 meter tall, modest in size, and wear crowns (bogwan) on their heads. The Cultural Heritage Administration 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.” They added, “It reflects the religious life of the Silla people and is academically and artistically valuable as the oldest seated Maitreya triad Buddha in Korea.”

Jang Yong-yeong Main Camp Type Batch

The Jangyongyeong Headquarters Diagram Set collectively refers to one colored painting and two floor plan drawings (ganga-do, architectural drawings depicting floor plans or layouts). Jangyongyeong was a military camp established by King Jeongjo in 1793 to strengthen royal authority. It operated with its main headquarters inside the capital (presumed to be the site of Ihyeongung in Jongno 4-ga, Seoul) and an outer camp at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. It was created by reorganizing the Jangyongwi (壯勇衛), a royal guard unit established in 1785, but was abolished two years after King Jeongjo’s death and King Sunjo’s ascension.

The paintings and diagrams depicting the architecture and terrain were created in the 23rd year of King Jeongjo’s reign (1799) and the 1st year of King Sunjo’s reign (1801). At that time, they were called dohyung (圖形, diagrams). Since it was necessary to report changes in the main structural axes of government offices to the king, the buildings were depicted with precise scale-based floor plans and meticulous brushwork. In an era when scientific surveying was not yet practiced, the landforms were expressed almost identically to reality based on a high understanding of scale and terrain. Furthermore, the colored painting and floor plans were created as a set to help viewers easily understand the architectural content.

Jang Yong-yeong Main Camp Model Batch

A Cultural Heritage Administration official explained, “The buildings expanded in later periods were redrawn to visually confirm the process of Jangyongyeong’s expansion.” They added, “It reveals the exact scale and functions of detailed buildings of Jangyongyeong, which no longer exists and whose form is unknown,” and “It is the oldest and only surviving example of a large-scale floor plan with regular grid divisions combined with a matching colored architectural painting.”

The Jangyongyeong Headquarters Diagram Set is a tangible artifact with clear production dates and purposes, demonstrating the production methods, utilization, and development process of architectural record paintings. It is evaluated as having sufficient historical, artistic, and academic value for producing both floor plans and colored paintings together, differentiating it from other floor plans, and delivering both pictorial artistry and rich information through realistic depiction.

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