Discovering Gyeongsangbuk-do Gyeongsan-si Part 2

 
It’s been sometime since we last went treasure hunting, so today we shall be visiting a few temples in Gyeongsan. The first temple we are going to, is the Bulgulsa Temple in Ganghak-ri, Wachon-myeon which was first constructed in the reign of King Sinmun of the Silla Dynasty; and which was later reconstructed by an old Buddhist priest from the Songgwangsa temple in Jeolla-do, during the reign of King Yeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty.



The Bulgulsasamcheungseoktap(Three Storied Stone Pagoda of Bulgulsa Temple) has been designated Treasure #429.
The octagonal stupa of the pagoda rests on natural rock, the upper side of which has a steep slope. Animal figures are carved on the middle octagonal pedestal though they are not clear. And eight lotus petals with simplicity are carved on the upper pedestal that is almost rounded at the corners. The name of the stupa, Bogak-guksa Jeongjositap, is inscribed on the front of the octagonal main stone and a door design is carved on the back of it. The remaining six sides are decorated with Four Deva Kings and Bodhisattvas standing on the lotus flower. The thick angle rafter of the roof is slowly lifted. The surface of the roof is relatively steep, and a decoration of flower sculpture is attached on each edge of the roof. This pagoda was erected in the ninth century during the Unified Silla period.



The Seokjo Ilbulsang, Bulgulsa Temple, Cultural Asset data #401, is an Ipbulsang (a Statue of a standing Buddha) made in the age of Goryeo Dynasty and enshrined in the Yaksabojeon. It stands on an engraved granite support.
The face is a bit bigger than body with regards to proportion, and the head has a thick and round Yukgye. The Sangho was destroyed and the face was re-engraved again.

On the thick neck, Samdo is expressed, and the gown reaches the ankles.
The left hand was lost, but repaired, and it supports a Vaud. There are big holes on the lower part of the back of the neck and head. It is assumed to have been a hole to fix a metal or stone light background.
There was a stone cave where Kim Yu-Sin, a great commander, and Wonhyodaesa, a great Buddhist priest of the Silla Dynasty, trained their bodies and minds.



The Seonbonsa temple was built by Geukdalhwasang in 491 during the 13th year in the reign of King Soji of the Silla Dynasty, home to the Seated Stone Buddha of Gwanbong Peak (Gatbawi) (Treasure # 431) and the Three-Storied Stone Pagoda (Local tangible cultural property #115).

The Gwanbongseokjoyeoraejwasang(Seated Stone Buddha of Gwanbong peak) is a seated Buddhist statue located on the southern peak of Mt. Palgongsan, called Gwanbong Peak.

Gwanbong Peak is also called 'Gatbawi' (Korean bamboo hat rock) because it looks as if the Buddhist statue is wearing a Korean bamboo hat made from a wide stone on the peak.

The usnisa, the protuberance on top of the head indicative of supreme wisdom, is quite visible despite the unusual hat-like piece. The round plump face is resilient but instead of a merciful smile, it has a serious expression with upward slanting eyes. The short thick neck has three lines on it and its ears are touching the shoulder. The broad square shoulders give it a dignified, strong look. The right hand is pointing downwards in the Bhumisparsa-mudra, which is similar to the principal image of the Buddha at Seokguram Temple. However, it is holding a small medicine bottle in its left hand, which makes it certain that it is a Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, the Buddha of Medicine. The hem of the clothing on the front and sides covers the square pedestal. The stonewall acting as a windbreaker behind the Buddhist statue also serves as the mandorla (Buddhist halo of light), but it is separate from the rock behind the statue. The plump but still face, formal folds, and flat body look tense and resilient, which is characteristic of Buddhist statues of the ninth century and also distinguishes it from statues of the eighth century. This sculpture is considered a masterpiece representative of large Buddhas of the ninth century.



This Buddha statue is famous for making wishes come true. For that reason, more than 2 million visitors and devotees visit this place. And especially, during the season of entrance exams, more than 30 thousand people come here.
Every year in October, a 2 – 3 day festival, the Kyung San Gat Ba Wei Festival will be held at Daehan-ri (the whole place around Gatbawi), Wachon-myeon, where there will be various activities such as a folk food festival,  a wishing festival, a Gatbawi singing contest and a paper lantern festival.



The rather large pagoda, the Three-Storied Stone Pagoda was constructed during the Unified Silla period(668-935).
The style of double foundation, the center and corner pillars carved in relief, and the roof stones with five-step cornices and two-step capstones carved of a single stone are all typical of stone pagodas of that period. When the pagoda was restored, a space for a sarira case was found inside the main body.
The Hwanseongsa Temple is located at the foot of Mt. Palgongsan. This Buddhist temple was built in 835, during the reign of King Heungdeok but it was burnt in a fire in the latter part of Goryeo. Singamdaesa rebuilt it in 1635, during the reign of King Injo and again by Hangwoldaesa in 1897 in the reign of Gwangmu of the Joseon Period.



Hwanseongsadaeungjeon (Daeungjeon Hall of Hwanseongsa Temple) Treasure #562, which was repaired and repainted in 1976, is the temple's main hall.


Daeungjeon was built in the Joseon Dynasty and is now placed inside Hwanseongsa.
It is composed of 5 partitioned rooms in the front and 4 at the side and is standing on the stone podium while there is a stone staircase with ten steps in the center.




The gabled-and-hipped roof is supported by multi-cluster brackets which have protruding ox tongue-shaped bracket arms. The sculpturing of the brackets and the framework of the building indicate that it was constructed around the 16th century.

 


Of particular interest are the decorative wood carvings of the altar inside the building and the cloud-decorated canopy over the Buddha. The hall appears quite grand because of the ceiling.


 
Hwanseongsasimgeomdang(Simgeomdang Hall of Hwanseongsa Temple) Tangible Cultural Properties #84 is the auditorium of the Hwanseongsa Temple. Its exact date of construction is not known but it is believed to have been built in the first half of the Joseon period(1392-1910) and has been renovated many times.


The building is 3 kan wide and 3 kan deep(kan is a traditional unit of measure referring to the space between two pillars) and has a gabled roof with eaves in a wing-like bracket style. It stands on a low foundation of rectangular stones. The veranda in front is a later addition and the windows also bear traces of recent renovations. The way truss posts were used in the roof work, however, is of a style prevalent in buildings constructed before the mid-Joseon period.
Other interesting features are the tiebeams which are on the same elevation regardless of the height of the pillars on which they rest. In other buildings, when taller pillars are installed inside to reinforce the roof work, the tiebeams are at a higher elevation than those on the outer pillars.



Cheonseongsa temple in Daedong-ri, Wachon-myeon is said to have been built by Uisangdaesa, a great Buddhist priest, during the reign of King Heungdeok of the Silla Dynasty. Now remaining are the Daeungjeon, the main building, and the Yosache, constructed in 1959. The temple buildings are surrounded by a lot of big rocks making it rather difficult to locate it.





Gyeongheungsa temple was constructed by Hyegonghwasang in 659 during the 6th year in the reign of King Muyeol of the Silla Dynasty and reconstructed later by priest Yeonggyudaesa just before the Imjin Waeran. Inside this temple is the Seated Wooden Buddhist Triad Statues in Gyeongheungsa Temple, Tangible Cultural Properties #246.



The Anheungsa temple, a temple of the Silla Dynasty was originally located at the foot of Mt. Baekjasan. It was later reconstructed in Sangbang-dong and was given its name in 1965.



Wonhyoam, in Daehan-ri, Wachon-myeon, is known to have been constructed by priest Wonhyodaesa to practice asceticism in 668 in the reign of King Munmu of the Silla Dynasty. In this temple there are the remains of a three-story stone pagoda and a seated Buddha relief.


Jain Hyanggyo, Cultural Asset Data #106 was built in 1562, but was destroyed during the Japanese Invasion in 1592. Afterwards, it was moved to the edge of Mt. Docheonsan and then moved again, to the current location, in 1728.
Hyanggyo is located on a low hill to the right of Jain Elementary School. To the front, is the Moseongru, a two-storey tower, and it is the typical Jeonhakhumyo-type of construction by building the Myeongryundang, Naesammun and Daeseongjeon all in a row. The Jegigo, (storehouse of dishes used in religious services) was to the left, in front of the Daeseongjeon. In front of the Myeongryundang, there used to be the Dong·Seojae, but now, only the Dongjae remains.




Classified under the category of folk plays and rites is Important Intangible Cultural Properties #44, the Hanjanggunnori or General Han's dance and memorial ceremony.

According to the legend of Jain-myeon, when the Japanese pirates invaded the village and started bullying the people there, General Han disguised himself as a woman, and danced with a flower coronet on his head with his sister. Clowns surrounded him and everyone danced to the music. Among the bystanders were some of the Japanese pirates who had come to watch the dance. Suddenly, the General, who was dancing, drew a sword and he and his soldiers made a surprise attack on them. Knives flashed in the hands of the bystanders, who were disguised as women and shamans. The clowns and bystanders were in fact all soldiers under General Han. This is the origin of the Yeowonmu, (General Han’s Dance) and the Hanjanggunnori (General Han’s play).
Today General Han is the guardian deity of the region and the villagers have built a shrine to worship him. He was a spirit who was adored in the Jain region.
The Gyeongsan Jain Dano Festival is held every year on Dano, (the 5^th Day of the 5th Lunar Month) lasting for 3 days as part of a shaman's ritual. In olden days, the village people used to dance the Yeowonmu in the battle fields and hold ceremonies for General Han at the shrine, but now, they perform them at the tomb of General Han.



Performances include the masked processions, traditional farmer's dance, tug-of-war, Korean wrestling, (Ssireum) and swinging on the .swing, (Geunettwigi) etc. The Yeowonmu is performed and a masked procession continues, which provides the main focus of the performances. As part of the performance, two young men are disguised as women dancers wearing large floral crowns. These young men then form the centre of a circle, surrounded by the other participants. Following General Han's command, both the shamans and the audience change, and become soldiers who then defeat the Japanese pirates. A masked procession follows this scene, with various accompanying banners in front of and behind the procession. The procession goes around the Jainmyeon town to the Seorim Forest Park where General Han was buried. At the Park the people hold a memorial ceremony for General Han. The Yeowonhwa, performed in the gut, is said to have the power to bring a good harvest, prevent misfortune, and cure diseases.

Danoje (Rites for Dano) and Danogut (Exorcism for Dano) are the ceremonies for encouraging the unity of the people in a region. The examples of these are Gangreungdanogut of the Gangreung regions in Gangwon-do, Munhojanggut of Yeongsan in Gyeongnam, and Hanjanggunnori of Gyeongbuk Jain. Each of these ceremonies has some festival pattern of the people in a region as they are related with various plays or events.



Intangible cultural asset#31 Jain Gyejeong-deulsori (music) is a collection of Deulsori that was once sung in the farming season around the whole area of Jain-myeon, which was called ‘a western village of Shilla’, and the singers consisted of six leaders and seventy-eight followers. There are the ‘Deuljishin Balgi’ for good harvest, the ‘Eosaingi (Eosayong)’ for wood cutting in the mountain, the ‘Mokdo sori’ for delivering stones or piling banks, the ‘Manggaesori’ for hardening pond banks, the ‘Boyeoksa sori’ for making a waterway of Bo, the ‘Moggineun sori’ for raising rice plants, the ‘Moshimgi sori’ for rice planting, the ‘Nonmaegi sori’ for rice paddy weeding, and the ‘Metajak sori’ for gathering grains.



The Jain Gyejeong Forest, in Seobu-ri, Jain-myeon, is a natural forest which is very rare in Korea. It shows what kind of trees were growing in the past around the Gyeong San area and it is also a model forest for the future green rehabilitation.  Now it is protected as a remembrance district.

Gyeongsansanjeondongbuncheongsagiyoji(Buncheong Ware pottery kilns site in Sanjeondong, Gyeongsan)


 

This is the site of a Buncheong porcelain kiln of Joseon(1392-1910). Buncheong is a kind of porcelain glazed with white slip. There appears to have been six climbing kilns here. Some of the shards recovered indicate that the kilns provided vessels for the government. Most of the shards are of Buncheong dishes with patterns stamped or brush painted in white slip. Others are of plain or inlaid Buncheong and also some white porcelains. Judging from these shards, the kilns are believed to have produced Buncheong and white porcelains from the 15th through the 16th century.
Guess that’s about all for Gyeongsan. Next stop will be in Cheongdo-gun due south of Gyeongsan.



Special thanks and appreciation to the following:
Photos and articles © courtesy

http://daegu.museum.go.kr/english/body_02/body02_3_03b.htm   http://210.96.108.160/open_content/eng/gs/cultural.jsp?no=2
http://museum.gbgs.go.kr http://www.gbgs.go.kr/eng/sub5/sub5_2.htm
http://english.tour2korea.com