Buan Culture Encyclopedia

Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad of Naesosa Temple

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Frontal View of the Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad of Naesosa TempleA frontal view of the Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad in Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple situated in Seokpo-ri, Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun. At the center of the triad is Amitabha flanked by Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Lateral View of the Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad of Naesosa TempleA lateral view of the Seated Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad in Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple situated in Seokpo-ri, Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun.

Location243, Naesosa-ro Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
Korean내소사 목조아미타삼존불좌상
Chinese來蘇寺木造阿彌陀三尊佛座像
FieldReligion / Buddhism
Contents TypeArtifact / Buddhist Statue
Current Location243, Naesosa-ro Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Definition: The Wooden Amitabha Triad of late Joseon enshrined at Naesosa Temple, Seokpo-ri, Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.

Summary: These wooden statues of a Buddha triad enshrined at Daeungbojeon Hall in Naesosa Temple, Buan consist of the Amitabha Buddha displaying the Vitaka mudra, the symbolic hand gesture of persuasion, flanked by two attendants, Mahathamaprapta and Avalokitesvara, who are holding lotus sprays. The Vitaka mudra was later changed to the Bhumi-sparsa mudra, or the gesture of expelling evil by touching the ground. As no written prayer was found with the statues, there is no exact record about their date of production or their creator. The disproportionately large heads, slightly rounded shoulders and drooping heads are characteristic features of Buddhist statues of late Joseon.

Forms: This Buddha triad consists of the principal Buddha, Amitabha (125㎝ in height), attended by two bodhisattvas, Mahathamaprapta and Avalokitesvara, each wearing a lavishly decorated headdress and displaying the hand gesture that symbolizes the Buddha's sermon on the dharma. Amitabha is depicted with a square face wearing a grave look, and a prominent chin, and exhibits the characteristic features of Buddhist statues of the late Joseon period. The statue is characterized by a disproportionately large head and topknot (usnisha), a semilunar crest above the forehead, broad shoulders - although they do not look so broad due to the large head, and legs crossed in the lotus position, on which rest hands forming the gesture that symbolizes an act of preaching. The Buddha is also wearing an inner garment (antaravasaka) with many folded layers above it, and an outer robe (uttarasanga) covering the knees, with many folds spreading out in a symmetrical way.
The two bodhisattvas flanking the principal Buddha are depicted as similar forms, except that they are about ten centimeters shorter than the latter, and wear lavishly decorated crowns and neck ornaments. The folds above their inner garment are depicted more realistically, and the robe covering their knees has tighter folds. The bodhisattvas are portrayed with one hand on their lap and the other raised to their shoulder, holding a lotus spray.

Characteristics: As there is no written record or prayer concerning the Wooden Seated Amitabha Triad of Naesosa Temple, next to nothing is known about the background to its production. However, the characteristic details of the statues, including the prominent chin, the rounded top of the head, the multiple folds in the upper part of the inner garment, the horizontal line of the crossed legs, and the multi-layered folds of the robe draped across the left knee, share striking similarities with the Seated Shakyamuni Triad that was enshrined in Daeungjeon Hall of Songgwangsa Temple, Wanju in the year 1641. Therefore, it is highly possible that the Amitabha Triad of Naesosa Temple was carved by Cheongheon or one of his disciples who created the clay statues of Songgwangsa Temple. Given that Cheongheon began to work as a chief sculptor in the late 1630s, while the wooden Amitabha Triad was completed slightly later than 1633 when Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple was built.

Historical Significance: The Wooden Seated Amitabha Triad of Naesosa Temple enshrined at Daeungbojeon Hall, which was originally dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha rather than Amitabha, provides valuable clues about Buddhist worship during the late Joseon period. While there is no original record about their background, these statues were produced by monk-sculptors of the school of Hyeonjin and Cheongheon who were active in the three southern provinces of Jeolla, Chungcheong and Gyeongsang during the first half of the seventeenth century. The statues of the triad are widely regarded as a valuable source of information about Buddhist sculpture and the genealogy of sculptors of late Joseon.

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