Buan Culture
Encyclopedia

Definition

A Buddhist hall of the late Joseon period, located at Naesosa Temple in Seokpo-ri, Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.

Summary

Naesosa Temple is believed to have been built as “Soraesa Temple” by the Buddhist monk Hyeguduta in 633 (the 34^th year of the reign of King Mu of Baekje). Originally, Soraesa Temple was composed of two separate temples, the larger Daesoraesa Temple, which burned down, and the smaller Sosoraesa temple, which ultimately became today’s Naesosa Temple.
Daeungbojeon Hall, which is located in the main space of Naesosa Temple, contains a Buddha Triad composed of the Sakyamuni flanked by Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. It is said that the hall was built when the Buddhist priest Cheongmin repaired the temple in 1633 (the 11^th year of the reign of KingInjo).

Location

Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple is located in the temple precincts at the following address: 243, Naesosa-ro (the village of Ibam, 268, Seokpo-ri), Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun. Daeungbojeon Hall is located behind the Three-Story Stone Pagoda, and can be reached by passing the Gate of the Four Guardian Kings at the end of the temple’s entrance, and then Bongnaeru, the Burimun Gate of the temple.

Development

The hall was built in 1633.

Forms

Daeungbojeon Hall, as a one-story building with a curve-shaped (八 palja) roof at the sides, measures three kan at the front by three kan at the sides. It has a half-hipped roof with a profuse bracket system in which layers of roof members protrude, clearly revealing the traditional architectural features of Korea. The hall’s structure consists of a low stylobate placed on a relatively high elevation made of stones, an orlo or natural stone foundation, main cylindrical columns, and corner columns carved in entasis.
There is a four-partitioned door in the middle space between the columns at the front, and a two-partitioned door on each side. Each door is decorated with different but beautifully refined flower designs of sunflower, lotus flower, and chrysanthemum. Such frames of Daeungbojeon Hall’s paper sliding doors, which are highly creative ornaments with great craftsmanship, are regarded as an important element in studying the construction style of the middle and late period of Joseon. Though the colors in the frames have faded away over the centuries and only the wood patterns remain, they are still soft to make you feel so great when touched by hands.
The roof’s bracket system consists of eleven brackets in total: three brackets in the center room, and two brackets each side room. The hall’s bracket system has a style of the three-outer chulmok and five-inner chulmok, although usually the inner one has one more chulmok than the outer one. The bracket’s layered ox tongue, which projects outwards, is commonly found in the buildings of the mid-Joseon period. The roof has double-layered eaves, and the salmicheomcha (ancones) of the five-inner chulmok are engraved with a decorative lotus bud design. The plaque inscribed with the name “Daeungbojeon”, written by Lee Gwang-sa (1705-1777, pen-name: Wongyo, a master of calligraphy of the late Joseon period), hangs above the center room at the front.
The crossbeam, made of a naturally curved piece of wood, is placed on the brackets of the front and rear columns, while the collar beam is supported by a dongja-shaped square member (daegong) erected on the crossbeam. Two chungnyang (a beam placed on a crossbeam at right angles) are placed on the center column on each side of the building. The end of the beam members are decorated with a lotus bud design, while the heads of the beams feature a design of dragon with a fish in its mouth. The hall has a grid-shaped ceiling which covers the top of the roof.
The wall behind the Sakyamuni Buddha (hubulbyeok) inside the hall has a spacious interior slightly behind the columns at the side. The Buddha Triad is placed on the Buddhist alter. The Sakyamuni, who forms the Mudra of the Nine Grades of Amitabha Buddha, is flanked by Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. There is no canopy. The wall behind the Buddha features an image of the Seated Avalokitesvara in White Robe seated on a rock, which is assumed to have been painted at the end of the Joseon period, and is the largest remaining Buddhist painting of its kind in Korea. The white robe is a characteristic feature of most depictions of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who grants people’s wishes. Along with the lotus bud sculptures on the brackets and the decorated ceiling, the interior of the hall exudes a splendid yet unified and restrained atmosphere.

Current Status

Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple, Buan serves as the main hall of Naesosa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It was designated as Treasure No. 291 on January 21, 1963.

Historical Significance

Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple, Buan, Treasure No. 291, enshrines the wooden Buddha Triad, Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 255. The Seated Avalokitesvara in White Robe depicted on the wall behind the Buddha, characterized by its splendid painting, bears comparison with other designated cultural heritages.