Gyeongbuk Province Designates 6 Cultural Properties Including Temples and Clan Archives... Strengthening the Foundation for Cultural Heritage Preservation and Utilization

Ink painting of Toegye Yi Hwang, designated as a tangible cultural property by Gyeongbuk Province.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Gyeongbuk Province recently designated four tangible cultural assets and two cultural materials as of the 5th through the Provincial Cultural Heritage Committee (Dongsan Subcommittee).

The tangible cultural assets include Volume 30 of Saribul Abhidharma Treatise, Volume 20 of Abhidharma Vibhasa Treatise, the Six Classics Compilation, and Ink Wash Paintings by Toegye, all held at Wonbeopsa Temple in Pohang. The two cultural materials are the Jukjang-ri Milestone in Gumi and the Guhwangchallyo.

The six cultural assets designated this time were selected as candidates for provincial designation cultural assets at the recent Dongsan Subcommittee meeting after on-site investigations by provincial cultural heritage committee members of non-designated cultural assets reviewed and applied for by cities and counties.

Following a 30-day public notice period to gather opinions from stakeholders, the final review and official announcement confirmed the designations.

Regarding the reasons for designating the four tangible cultural assets of the province, the "Saribul Abhidharma Treatise Volume 30 held at Wonbeopsa Temple in Pohang" is a woodblock print edition bound as a folding book, printed in the early Joseon period from the Goryeo-era Reprinted Tripitaka Koreana held at Haeinsa Temple.

The Saribul Abhidharma Treatise is a book interpreting the names and meanings of all laws mentioned in Theravada Buddhism. Most surviving reprints of the Tripitaka Koreana in Korea were printed either in the late Joseon period, during the Japanese colonial era, or in the 1960s.

This book is a 15th-century print in good preservation condition and is highly valued not only in bibliography and Buddhist studies but also as an important resource in the history of Korean printing and publishing culture.

The "Abhidharma Vibhasa Treatise Volume 20" has no clear record of its printing date, but considering the paper quality and the number and width of lines, it is a print from the early Joseon period (15th century).

As a commentary on the "Abhidharma Prakara?a," which contains the doctrines of the Sarv?stiv?da school, a branch of Theravada Buddhism, its structure and content are similar. Until now, the known Abhidharma Vibhasa Treatise prints are limited to volumes 155 to 157 held at Dongguk University Library in the form of the Reprinted Tripitaka Koreana.

This book is in very good condition and is the only known Volume 20 among the publicly available Abhidharma Vibhasa Treatise materials, making it highly valuable.

The "Ink Wash Paintings by Toegye" were handwritten by Toegye Yi Hwang (1501?1570) for the first edition by Kwon Munhae (1534?1591). It is presumed to be a direct copy of "Sukhungyamaejam," written by Jin Baek of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Although this material is not the original manuscript written by Toegye Yi Hwang and has many damages such as missing characters and deterioration, the records of the document's acquisition and preservation process strongly suggest it is Toegye's ink wash work. The calligraphy itself is a meaningful and valuable cultural asset.

"Guhwangchallyo" consists of two volumes: one combined edition published in 1654 by Lee Gu (1596?1656), the magistrate of Yeongcheon County, based on the 1639 edition of Guhwangchallyo by Kim Yuk and the 1653 edition of Byeokon Sinbang compiled by Ahn Gyeongchang and others; and another volume published after 1655 with the same edition.

Although these books contain some errors compared to the originals, they were published as vernacular editions using both Chinese characters and Hangul. They reflect the benevolent policies of local officials aiming to relieve famine and treat epidemics at the time, and they are significant materials for understanding the history of Yeongcheon as a traditional medicine city and the trends in local publishing.

With the recognition of their cultural value and designation as provincial tangible cultural assets and cultural materials, the total number of cultural assets in Gyeongbuk Province has reached 2,242 (815 nationally designated, 1,427 provincially designated).

At the recent 3rd Dongsan Subcommittee meeting of the Provincial Cultural Heritage Committee, eight items were selected as candidates for tangible cultural asset designation: the Sangdong-gye documents of Bang-eori in Gyeongju, the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva painting of Yonghwasa Temple in Yeongcheon, the Shakyamuni Sermon painting of Yonghwasa Temple, the Shinjoong painting of Yonghwasa Temple, the Military Service Muisan painting of Queen Dangyeong’s Onneung Bongneung Tomb Management, the Seonhyeon relics, the Sanchun Gasuk Dongguk Tongji, and the Shinjoong painting of Sujin Temple in Uljin.

These eight cultural heritage items selected as candidates will undergo public notice procedures such as posting on the provincial bulletin board, and their designation will be finalized at the next Cultural Heritage Committee meeting.

Kim Sang-cheol, Director of the Provincial Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau, stated, “We will continue to discover non-designated cultural assets and explore various utilization plans for already designated cultural assets. At the same time, we will steadily promote the elevation of excellent provincially designated cultural assets to national designation to expand government funding support, and in line with government policies, we will strengthen the environmental foundation for cultural heritage within the province.”

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