• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
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• v.1
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• pp.278-305
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• 2024

Gelatin dry plate photographs dating to the Japanese colonial era and the official documents from the Japanese Government-General of Korea Museum in the collection of the National Museum of Korea are significant materials documenting cultural heritage in North Korea before it was severely damaged in 1950 during the Korean War. There has been an increase in recent years in studies of Buddhist sculptures in North Korea based on these photographs and documents. This paper presents some new comments on the Buddhist sculptures at Seongbulsa Temple in Hwangju, one of the most famous temples in Hwanghae-do Province, based on the related existing research outcomes. This paper aims to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the Buddhist sculptures at Seongbulsa Temple by chronicling its history based on historical records, examining its current status, and exploring in detail the production dates and backgrounds of the Buddhist sculptures featured on gelatin dry plates. Prior to Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, Seongbulsa housed at least seven sculptural items: two Bodhisattva statues, four Buddha statues, and a triad. Two items are from the early Goryeo period, one is from the late Goryeo period, three are from the early Joseon period, and one is from the late Joseon period. Among them, two surviving items are noteworthy. One is the early Goryeo-era Stone Seated Bhaishajyaguru Buddha photographed in Eungjinjeon Hall at Seongbulsa Temple. A close examination of a schematic drawing of the sculpture's pedestal made at the time it was photographed reveals that its material accords with the materials used for the headless Stone Seated Bhaishajyaguru Buddha and pedestal currently found in the old Sangwonam Hermitage site in the Inner Geumgang Valley of Jeongbangsan Mountain. This accordance could mean that the statue is a new significant example of early Goryeo Buddhist sculpture in North Korea. The other notable sculpture is the Gilt-bronze Seated Amitabha Buddha Triad created in 1454 (the second year of the reign of King Danjong) and discovered in Geungnakjeon Hall at Seongbulsa. This statue is currently in the collection of the Sariwon History Museum in Hwanghae-do Province. It is an important example of a dated small gilt-bronze Buddhist statue from the early Joseon period found in North Korea. This paper is a case study of Buddhist sculptures in North Korea, focusing on Seongbulsa Temple. Further utilization of the National Museum of Korea's gelatin dry plates will contribute to developing the study of the history of Korean Buddhist sculpture.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.7-14
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• 2016

The architectural influence from the Yuan had impact on the Goryeo Dynasty in earnest during Yuan intervention period in the 14th century. The representative examples which were influenced by the Yuan architecture are the Eungjinjeon in Seongbulsa(成佛寺) temple, the ten-story stone pagoda of Gyeoncheonsa(敬天寺) temple site, the Bogwangjeon in Simwonsa(心源寺) temple, the Hoeamsa(檜巖寺) temple and so on. Notwithstanding the changes of relationship between two countries, it can be comprehended that there was a selective acceptance of the Yuan architectural peculiarities in Goryeo Dynasty. It means that the adoption of foreign culture in Korea has not been inevitable from the unilateral demand, but been autonomous by perceiving as the advanced culture. This tendency was maintained even though the government had been changed.

• Journal of the korean veterinary medical association
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.321-322
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• 1979

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.78-99
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• 2020

The Buddha triad and 16 Arhat statues carved on the rock surface at Seongbulsa temple is the only domestic remaining example of all 16 Arhats, so its academic value is very high. However, it is severely damaged and so required a stability evaluation through study of digital documentation and precise diagnosis for the purpose of comprehensive conservation. This process established that the Buddha statues were of similar scale, while the Arhats showed a wide variety of sizes, and the two kith and kin in the volume were larger than the Arhats. It was estimated that the statues of food for Buddha are similar to the Arhat statues, and most of the statues are well-formed. The rock used to carve the Buddha statues is banded gneiss with distinct foliation, alternating between white bands of quartz and feldspar and black bands composed of biotite. The Buddha statues have been damaged by physical weathering, discoloration, and biological contamination. In damage evaluations, joint (3.6 crack index), peeling (5.2%), exfoliation (1.7%), and falling off (0.1%) were observed on the rock surface of the Buddha statues. In particular, due to severe biological weathering, stage 9 and 10 biological coverage of the rock surface accounted for 57.5% of the total area, and stages 5 to 8 also accounted for a high share at 22.3%. The discoloration factors were shown to be dark brown and white with Fe, Ca, and S, and a large amount of C detected in the blackened contaminants, and the damage weight high in all areas. Discontinuities in different directions were identified in the rock surface. Analysis of potential rock failure types indicated that there is a possibility of plane and toppling failure, but wedge failure is unlikely to occur. The mean ultrasonic velocity of the main rock surface was 2,463m/sec, the lower part of the left side with a large number of joints was relatively low, and the highly weathered (HW) type to the completely weathered (CW) type concentrated distribution, showing weak properties. For the Buddha statues, conservation treatment is required for about 14.9% of micro cracks and 58.9% of exfoliation cracks. In addition, in order to improve the conservation environment of the Buddha statues, maintenance of drainage and ground preparations for the rock surface gradient and plants are necessary, and protection facilities should be reviewed for long-term conservation and management purposes.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.33
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• pp.162-181
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• 2000

This paper investigates sixteen rock-cut arhat images of the Koryo period at Sungbul-sa (成佛寺) in Chunan (天安), South Chungchung Province. These images, together with a Buddha triad in the center, are carved in thin relief on the large granite wall ($375cm{\times}248cm$), and below them is engraved a huge lotus petal which looks to be supporting all the images above. According to extant textual sources, arhats were popularly worshipped in the Koryo period. The Painting of Five Hundred Arhat Images was brought to Koryo from Later Liang (後梁) of the Five Dynasties (五代) in 923. From that time on, the cult of arhat had become gradually known in Koryo. More than thirty ceremonies worshipping arhats (羅漢齊) were officially held in Koryo court. The Sixteen Arhat images (十六羅漢像) were enshrined in many temples. In Boje-sa (普濟寺), which kings and aristocrats often visited for ritual ceremonies, had its main hall dominated by the Five Hundred Arhats, called Nahan-pocheon (羅漢寶殿). However, a limited number of arhat images of the Koryo period, originally made as sets of sixteen or five hundred arhats, are now extant. The Sixteen Arhat images at Sungbul-sa are unique examples that show all sixteen images in situ. The Sixteen Arhat images, though some of them are abraded, show various postures and gesture. One of them sits with his knee bent, and one arhat is sitting on a chair with his hand held upward. Each image is carved in a niche, just as the arhat images of Northern Song China are normally represented in niches of a cave, and are quite similar in style to the arhat images of the Northern Song period at Qinglindong (靑林洞) cave, Feilaifeng (飛來峰), Zejiang province (浙江省). This similarity between the arhat images of Sungbul-sa and those of Qinglindong certifies the strong impact of Song Buddhist art on Koryo frequently mentioned in texts. The Sixteen Arhat images surround the central Buddha raising his hand up to his chest. This Buddha triad could be ascribed to be either the Maitreya Buddha triad or the Sakyamuni Buddha triad based on the Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華經). Still, the Sakyamuni Buddha triad was more often represented with sixteen or five hundred arhats in the Koryo period, as was seen in the record of Boje-sa where the Sakyamuni triad was enshrined with five hundred arhat images. The Sixteen Arhat images of Sungbul-sa arc most likely to be a rare example of Koryo Arhat images showing the Sakyamuni Buddha triad and the Sixteen Arhats who were predicted to be Buddhas by Sakyamuni in the Lotus Sutra.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.127-134
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• 2023

The god of water, Baltara (Bhadra: in the northern part of India), Tammola Around 563-483, he came to Tamra with 900 Arhats (BC483-AD1105, during the reign of King Sukjong of Goryeo, the kingdom of Tamra became Hangun-hyeon in Goryeo). It is the spread of Buddhism through the world's most sacred water (Heiligkeit, one of the four elements water, fire, air, and earth) and the world's largest Arhat The reverse of Halla, appendix: to find the stone statue of Buddha at Seogo Temple in Jeonju, Hwangbangsan. Since ancient times, Jeju people have called Truth Mt. that Mt. Halla protects against typhoons blowing from the south. It looks like it has been hardened by fire. On the coming day, the greatest breath of Venerable Baltara in Jeju is Olle Road No. 1 from Siheung-ri, Seongsanpo to No. 26 Gujwa-myeon Jongdal-ri. It is the Oval Jeju "Road Way" that clearly shows "the beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning" of Cheonbugyeong.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.24-33
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• 2022

The travel notes and nature poems found in historic literary men's works can be considered historical records related to scenic sites. Such travel notes and nature poems are based on the writers' personal characters, experiences, learning and etc. Such works clearly show the characters of each literature, information of the related objects and the writers' thoughts of the objects. This study, thus, looked into Euisang on Xīsāishān Mountain that could be the origin of Eobusa(漁父詞) loved and sung by Korean historic literary men, and found that the Korean and Chinese literary men's thoughts were shown through their ways to enjoy Xīsāishān Mountain and their Euisang on the mountain, which was different between the Korean and Chinese literary men depending on the geographical locations described in their poems. In detail, the study results are: 1. Such difference of the ways to enjoy Xīsāishān Mountain, the scenic site described in historic Korean and Chinese literary men's work is broadly classified into the ways to enjoy the scenic site by seeing it in person and the ways to enjoy it under the mental structure of speculation. 2. Xīsāishān Mountain in Wuxing is the background of Yújiāzi(漁家子) of the painting Zhāngzhìhé, is boasting its distinguished beautiful nature, and is the place where the Confucian Study of Hú(湖學) was originated. It is also the place known of its warmhearted climate. Therefore, Euisang on Xīsāishān Mountain under such beautiful and warmhearted circumstance are realized as the complete freedom and seclusion in Taoism and the satisfaction with the given environment and position in Confucianism. 3. Xīsāishān Mountain in Wǔchāng is a military strategic point with rugged mountain terrain and scenery that has been a historic ferocious battlefield and related with the loyal civil servant Qū Yuán. The Euisang on Xīsāishān Mountain in Wǔchāng, therefore, represents the nature scenery of a rugged fortress and patriotism of Confucianism. 4. The Korean literary men's way to enjoy Xīsāishān Mountain is Shinyu(神遊: spiritual travel), so that their Euisang is formed according to the direction of the writer's values. Especially it is noted that Korean Euisang on Xīsāishān Mountain is originally based on the painting Zhāngzhìhé that shows the complete free mood of Taoism; and the Euisang on Xīsāishān Mountain that came from the mindful image by the poet monk Qíjǐ of Tang dynasty and Kim Si-seup appears with such Buddhist ways to seek the truth as SakGongIlYeo(色空一如: Being full is essentially as same as being vacant) and GyeonSeongSeongBul(見性成佛: Everybody can become Buddha by enlightenment).