Rock-carved Standing Buddha in Samtae-ri, Cheonan

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.407

Category

Sculpture

Era

고려시대

Designated year

1964

Location

천안시, 충청남도— 충청남도 천안시 동남구 풍세면 삼태리 산 28-1

Coordinates

36.727830, 127.085947

There is a small temple called Haeseonam Hermitage on Taehaksan Mountain in Pungse-myeon in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do. It seems that there was originally a large temple at this site, but what it was called and when it was built or destroyed is not clear. At the foot of the mountain at the back of the hermitage, there is a large boulder with a 7.1-meter high Buddha image sculpted on it. At the rock on the top of the image, there are traces of structures built before. The face of the statue is carved so as to stick out, while the body consists of simple lines. Since this is the common style of rock-carved Buddha images in the late Goryeo Dynasty, it is possible to know when this one was made. On top of its bald head there is a large round usnisa (a protuberance symbolizing supreme wisdom). The face is broad and the cheeks are plump. The narrow eyes, large nose, and small mouth give it a stiff expression. The neck is very short and almost undistinguishable, so samdo, i.e. the three wrinkles that should be on the neck drape down to the chest. The shoulders, which start from the chin, are merely wide, with no three dimensional features. The hands are held up to the chest, with the palm of the left hand facing up and the right hand on top of the left with the back showing. This identifies the image as a Maitreya Bodhisattva, since the form was widely used in such statues in the Goryeo Dynasty. The beobeui (sacerdotal robe) that covers the shoulders has volume. The folds in the clothing carved in vertical stripes in the upper part, while 'U'-shaped folds are used in the bottom part, with the folds in a symmetrical pattern, showing diagrammatic features. The general features and details of the face and clothes make the statue an important example of a huge rock-carved Buddha image, showing the style of Buddhist art of the Goryeo Dynasty.

Location