Exploring the Value of Goryeo Artifacts Discovered Inside an Iron Cauldron

Fifty-Eight Buddhist Ritual Implements Unearthed from Heungryunsa Temple Site
Academic Conference to Be Held at Gyeongju Hilton Hotel on the 13th

Appearance of Buddhist offering tools excavated in 2023

The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage will hold an academic conference titled "The Value and Significance of Buddhist Ritual Implements Excavated from Heungryunsa Temple Site in Gyeongju" at 10 a.m. on the 13th at the Gyeongju Hilton Hotel. The event will comprehensively review the investigation and research achievements regarding the Goryeo-era Buddhist ritual implements unearthed in Sajung-dong, Gyeongju in 2023, and share the results of conservation treatments and scientific analyses.

The conference will consist of presentations on excavation results, five thematic presentations, and a general discussion. Park Jeongjae, a researcher at the Chunchoo Cultural Heritage Institute, will present the current status and results of the excavation. Kwon Jihyun and An Sohyun, researchers at the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, and Kim Sojin, a researcher at the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, will release the findings from two years of conservation treatment and the scientific analysis of organic materials found inside the iron cauldron.

Professor Lee Yongjin of Dongguk University will analyze the types, characteristics, and production periods of the excavated artifacts, while Shin Myunghee, curator at the Gyeongju National Museum, will compare the forms and uses of ritual implements unearthed at temple sites in Korea, such as Malheulli Temple Site in Changnyeong, Ingaksa Temple Site in Gunwi, and Geumgangsa Temple Site in Yeongju.

Professor Choi Taeseon of Joongang Sangha University will discuss the patterns of burial and the Buddhist historical significance of ritual implements, and Professor Jun Sakuragi of Kansai University in Japan will present on Buddhist ritual culture in Korea and Japan, focusing on Japanese Esoteric Buddhist rituals and ritual implements. The ensuing discussion will be chaired by Professor Lim Youngae of Dongguk University.

Buddhist Ritual Implements Excavated from Heungryunsa Temple Site in Gyeongju

The Buddhist ritual implements excavated from the Heungryunsa Temple Site in Gyeongju are 58 Goryeo-era artifacts discovered inside an iron cauldron during a sewer installation excavation in Sajung-dong, Gyeongju in 2023. Items unearthed include a lotus-shaped candlestick holder, vajra and vajra bell, bronze incense burner, bronze incense container, bronze light stand, and bronze candlestick. Since last month, the Gyeongju Institute has been holding a special exhibition in collaboration with the Bulguksa Museum, showcasing the artifacts that have completed conservation treatment.

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