Close-range View of the Sixteen Arahat Statues of Eungjinjeon Hall in Gaeamsa TempleA Close-range View of the Sixteen Arahat Statues in Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple situated in Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun. Of the 16 Arhat Statues, the photograph shows eight Arhat Statues and the Deva holding an ax.
Sixteen Arahat Statues in Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa TempleA frontal view of the Sixteen Arahat Statues in Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple situated in Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun. The photograph features the Buddha Triad Statue consisting of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, Ananda and Kashyapa and 11 Arhat Statues out of the 16 Arhat Statues in addition to the Deva Statue holding a lotus flower on the far right.
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Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean개암사 응진전 16나한상
- Chinese開巖寺應眞殿十六羅漢像
- FieldReligion / Buddhism
- Contents TypeArtifact / Buddhist Statue
- Current Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- Wooden statues of sixteen arhats from the late Joseon period enshrined at Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple in Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Summary
- Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple enshrines a Shakyamuni Triad in which the principal Buddha, Shakyamuni, is flanked by his two disciples, Ananda and Kasyapa, Sixteen Arhats, and two Buddhist guardian deities, each holding an axe and a lotus flower. (An Arhat is a Buddhist saint who has attained enlightenment.)
The Arhats are a group of sixteen enlightened beings who were chosen by Shakyamuni as his best disciples.This is nonsensical drivel. Should it be (more simply): “The sixteen Arhats of Eungjinjeon Hall follow the classical configuration, with eight arhats standing on each side of the Buddha, According to the written prayer discovered with the arhats enshrined in Eungjinjeon Hall, the project for “The enshrinement of the arhats in Eungjindang Hall of Gaeamsa Temple in Neunggasan Mountain, Buan was organized by Deokhwi and Boyun and completed with the participation of a group of artists including Gyeongtan on July 1, 1677.” It was later discovered that one of the arhats had been restored more recently. The Sixteen Arhats of Eungjinjeon Hall in Gaeamsa Temple were designated as Provincial Cultural Heritage of Jeollabuk-do No. 179 on March 31, 2000.
- Forms
- The arhats enshrined in Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple range from 87cm to 96.5cm in height and exhibit a variety of positions. All the arhats have shaved heads, while their faces are either young or old. While some have their two hands clasped in prayer, others are holding various symbolic objects in their hands, such as a Buddhist scripture, prayer beads, or a lion. They also assume postures rarely seen in other images of arhats; for instance, one arhat holds one leg raised with clasped hands, and raises his nose with a stick, with the sleeves of his robe rolled up. While most of the arhats are depicted seated with their legs crossed, others are displayed in a relaxed posture with one leg raised. All the arhats are seated on “rocky” pedestals and wear a red kasaya over their dharma robes, with some exposing a part or the whole of their chest.
- Characteristics
- A written prayer found inside a depository revealed that the Sixteen Arhats of Eungjinjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple were made in 1677 by a group of monk-artists, including Jungye, Beophak, Gyeongsam, and Gyeongtan. The head of the group, Gyeongtan, also led the project to carve the Seated Stone Shakyamuni enshrined in Sojaesa Temple in Dalseong, Daegu. Compared with other arhats produced in the same period, the arhats of Gaeamsa Temple are more highly regarded for their aesthetic uniqueness, particularly the diversity of their postures and the vivid depiction of their facial expressions.
- Historical Significance
- The Sixteen Arhats of Eungjinjeon Hall in Gaeamsa Temple are regarded as an important source of knowledge about Korean Buddhist sculpture of the mid-seventeenth century due to the surviving original record made at the time of their production. The record provides valuable clues about the monk-sculptors of late Joseon, including the genealogy of the monk-artists led by Gyeongcheon.