Munsusa Geumdongyeoraejwasang Reliquary Objects, Seosan

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1572

Category

Books & Records

Era

고려시대

Designated year

2008

Location

예산군, 충청남도— 충남 예산군 덕산면 사천리 20번지 수덕사

Coordinates

36.663198, 126.620812

These artifacts, totaling 504 items of 17 kinds, were found inside the Gilt-bronze Seated Buddha of Munsusa Temple, which was designated Chungcheongnam-do Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 34 but which remains missing since it was stolen in 1993. The relics include diverse printed materials such as books, documents, sutras and dharanis, and hand-copied texts such as an invocation and a list of relics enshrined inside the Buddha image. Also found were a man’s coat, fabrics, a box in eight-leaf design, beads and bells. Among the noteworthy printed texts are Chinese Editions of the Saddharmapundarika Sutra (The Lotus Sutra) and the Karunikaraja prajnaparamita Sutra (Sutra for Protecting the Country), with horn pen marks and Korean endings for easier reading. Among the hand-written texts are an invocation dated the sixth year of Zhizheng, corresponding to 1346, and a list of the artifacts enshrined inside the Buddha, which reveals when the image was made, what items were put inside it and when. All these texts are significant reference materials for the study of Korean language, bibliography, history of Buddhism and the history of fine arts. The man’s coat is considered an important object for study of robes as an essential outer garment during the late Goryeo Period. The fabrics are generally in good condition, providing useful clues to dyeing skills and favorite colors in the Goryeo Period.

Location