Printing Woodblocks of Seokssi wollyu eunghwa sajeok (Life and Activities of Sakyamuni Buddha Incarnate)

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.591

Category

Books & Records

Era

조선 현종 14년(1673)

Designated year

1975

Location

종로구, 서울특별시— 서울 종로구 우정국로 55, 불교중앙박물관 (견지동,광교빌딩)

Coordinates

37.573893, 126.981882Kakao address conversion

These wooden blocks were carved in 1673 (the 14th year of King Hyeonjong’s reign), in Buramsa Temple in Yangju for the re-printing of Seokssi wollyu eunghwa sajeok (Life and Activities of Sakyamuni Buddha Incarnate) by the monk Jisip. This book was brought to Joseon in 1631 (the 9th year of King Injo’s reign), by Jeong Du-won, who travelled to Ming China as a state envoy. The book recounts the life story of Gautama Buddha and explains how Buddhism was propagated to Central Asia and China after his time. It is made up of four hundred items, each headed by a separate four-character title. In each item, the text portion is preceded by an illustration. The carved characters are clear and crisp, and the overall quality displays an excellent craftsmanship. The book begins with a preface by Ming Emperor Xianzong, written in 1486 (the 22nd year of King Heonjong’s reign), followed by Seokga yeorae seongdogi (Shi jia ru lai cheng dao ji: Life and Vocation of Shakyamuni Buddha), authored by Wang Bo of the Tang Dynasty. At the tail end of the book, there is a list of eighteen persons’ names, including the illustrators and the carvers. The author of Seokssi wollyu eunghwa sajeok, meanwhile, is unknown, and the book appears no longer extant as it is currently not mentioned in any of Chinese bibliographies.

Location