'Iksan Mireuksaji West Pagoda Sarira Reliquary' to be Elevated to National Treasure Status

Excavation Preserves Original Enshrinement Appearance... Absolute Standard for Sarir Ornamentation Research
"Top-Grade Metal Materials and Baekje Metalcraft Technology Concentrated"

The treasure 'Iksan Mireuksaji West Pagoda Sarira Reliquary,' the essence of Baekje craftsmanship, will be elevated to the status of a National Treasure. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 31st that it will finalize the designation after collecting opinions from various sectors for a month and undergoing a review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

The relic was discovered in 2009 in the sarira chamber (a hole drilled to hold the sarira) of the central pillar (simjuseok) of the West Pagoda at Iksan Mireuksaji. It consists of nine pieces, including the gold sarira enshrinement record (Geumje Sarira Bongyeonggi), the gilt-bronze outer sarira container (Geumdong Sarira Oeho), the gold inner sarira container (Geumje Sarira Naeho), and a bronze container (Cheongdong Hap). Sarira reliquaries collectively refer to the vessels used to enshrine sarira in pagodas and the offerings sealed together with them.

The gold sarira enshrinement record is inscribed with 193 characters in eleven lines on both the front and back of a thin gold plate. It records that a Baekje queen, daughter of the minister Sataek Jeokdeok, donated wealth to establish a temple and enshrined the sarira in 639 to pray for the royal family's well-being. This presents new historical facts regarding the date and patron of the Mireuksa temple's founding legend, as transmitted through the Samguk Yusa. The calligraphy, notable for its curved beauty and elegance, also provides important information for the study of Korean calligraphy history.

The gilt-bronze outer sarira container and the gold inner sarira container feature a structure where the waist part of the body twists open. This design is so unique that similar examples are hard to find in East Asian sarira containers. The flow of the lines is graceful, and the sense of volume and vividness of the patterns are outstanding, fully expressing refined elegance.

The bronze containers are six alloy vessels of varying sizes. One of them bears an inscription reading 'Dalsol (達率) Mokgeun (目近),' indicating that a person named Mokgeun, who held the official title Dalsol, donated it. These bronze vessels were shaped using a lathe (nokro), and some parts are cited as important examples that reveal the origins of Korean metalware production history. A nokro is a turning wheel used to make vessels or engrave patterns.

Kim Eun-young, a researcher at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Bureau, explained, "The Iksan Mireuksaji West Pagoda sarira reliquary was commissioned and produced by the Baekje royal family, and it was excavated in its original enshrined state from the sarira chamber of the stone pagoda, making it an absolute standard for the study of ancient East Asian sarira reliquaries." She added, "It sublimated the highest quality metal materials and Baekje metalcraft skills into an outstanding work of art. It not only proves the history of Baekje metalcraft technology in the early 7th century but also indicates the exchange of sarira crafts in East Asia, giving it immense historical, academic, and artistic value."

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