Mujoo Hanpungnu and Yangju Hoeamsaji Saritap to Become Treasures

Mujoo Hanpungnu, One of the Few Two-Story Official Pavilions Showing 17th Century Characteristics
Hoeamsaji Saritap, Designed and Built by the Best Stone Craftsman... The Essence of Joseon Stone Art

Muju Hanpungnu

The Jeonbuk Tangible Cultural Property 'Muju Hanpungnu (茂朱 寒風樓)' and the Gyeonggi Tangible Cultural Property 'Yangju Hoeamsaji Saritap (揚州 檜岩寺址 舍利塔)' will be elevated to Treasures. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 20th that these two cultural properties are preliminarily designated as Treasures. Opinions from various sectors will be collected for a month, and the final designation will be confirmed after review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

Muju Hanpungnu is a government office building praised by the Joseon Dynasty scholar Baekho Imje as the foremost among the three Han (Muju Hanpungnu, Namwon Gwanghanru, Jeonju Hanbyeokru) in Honam. The nameplate is said to have been written by Han Seokbong. Numerous literati enjoyed poetry and painting here, allowing us to gauge the era and cultural atmosphere of the time.

The exact date of construction is unknown. However, through various records such as poems written by scholars Seong Im and Yoo Soon who saw the building in the 15th century, and the Shinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam, it is confirmed that the building existed since the early Joseon period.

Muju Hanpungnu

The building, which was destroyed during the Imjin War and rebuilt, is a two-story pavilion with a hipped-and-gabled roof, three bays wide at the front and two bays deep on the sides. It was constructed according to the formal style of government pavilions in the late Joseon period, showing characteristics such as the double-wing bracket system (Iikgong). The proportional and flowing techniques of the flat columns installed on the lower floor, the lower and upper columns, the massive jar-shaped beams, and the eaves with strong rafters all highlight structural stability and aesthetic value.

The Cultural Heritage Administration evaluated, "Authentic restoration was carried out during the 16th-17th century renovations, and it is one of the few multi-story government pavilions from the 17th century that clearly exhibits period characteristics, making it historically, architecturally, and academically valuable."

Yangju Hoeamsaji Saritap

Yangju Hoeamsaji Saritap is a true sarira pagoda (a pagoda enshrining relics of the Buddha's body) built by royal patronage in the early Joseon period. Despite its grand scale, it is well preserved, retaining many elements of royal Buddhist art, including the pagoda's form, iconography, and decorative patterns.

The sarira pagoda consists of a multi-tiered pedestal based on an octagonal shape, a spherical pagoda body, and a finial. The octagonal base stone (a stone placed on compacted ground) supports a two-tiered pedestal. Compared to other sarira pagodas, the pedestal stones are higher, and the capstones (flat stones placed like lids) are more thickly carved. The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "Among existing sarira pagodas, this one has the tallest pedestal."

Each side of the pedestal is adorned with various decorations, including dragons, qilin, plant and floral patterns, vine motifs, and the Eight Heavenly Guardians (Palbusinjo) who protect the Buddhist law. These decorations extend from the lower pedestal to the upper capstones. The pagoda body is shaped like another spherical sarira pagoda placed on top. On the upper surface of the pedestal, which is constructed in four tiers including the base stone, a low octagonal pedestal is placed, above which the spherical pagoda body, roof stones, and the finial (a circular component at the top of the pagoda) are constructed.

Yangju Hoeamsaji Saritap

The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "The overall style, construction techniques, and detailed patterns are similar to royal stone structures related to early Joseon royal tombs. Judging by the scale of the sarira pagoda, the condition of the stone carving, and the jointing techniques, it is presumed that the finest stonemasons of the time designed and constructed it." They added, "It is the epitome and representative work of early Joseon stone art, with great historical, academic, and artistic value."

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