Hwagyesa Mokjojijangbosalsamjonsang Mit Siwangsang (Collection), Seoul

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1822

Category

Sculpture

Era

1649년

Designated year

2014

Location

강북구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 강북구 화계사길 117 (수유동, 화계사)

Coordinates

37.632522, 127.007087Kakao address conversion

The Wooden Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Triad and the Ten Underworld Kings of Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul are a group of Buddhist statues enshrined in the Hall of the Underworld (or Myeongbujeon Hall) of Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul. A total of twenty-five statues are placed on the altar of the hall where worshippers pray for spirits in the other world, including Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva flanked by two attendants, Domyeong Jonja and Mudok Gwiwang, ten Underworld Kings, Judges, Messengers, Boy Attendants, and Devas. The techniques used to carve the statues suggest that they were made in the seventeenth century by a monk-sculptor named Yeongcheol of the Suyeon School, as shown by the depiction of the robe’s folds and imposing figure and prominent nose. Although some of the Boy Attendants have been lost, the remaining works are sufficient to show the entire set of altarpieces for the Hall of the Underworld and deepen our understanding of Korean Buddhist sculpture during the mid-Joseon period.

Location