Bronze Bell of Gaeamsa Temple
Close-range View of the Bronze Bell of Gaeamsa TemplThe top part of Dongjong, the Copper Bell, designated as Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 126 in Gaeamsa Temple located in Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun. The decorative part at the top features the head of a dragon with the Cintamani stone in its mouth. The top part of the bell is carved with a band containing squares. Inside each square is a circle containing 27 Sanskrit characters.
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Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean개암사 동종
- Chinese開岩寺銅鐘
- FieldReligion / Buddhism
- Contents TypeArtifact / Artifact (General)
- Current Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Original Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A temple bell of late Joseon located at Gaeamsa Temple in Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
[Summary]
The Bronze Bell of Gaeamsa Temple was designated as Provincial Tangible Cultural Heritage of Jeollabuk-do No. 126 on September 8, 1986. The lower part of the bell contains an inscription carved in relief which records its production date, the name of the temple to which it was dedicated, its weight, and the people who contributed to its production. According to the inscription, the bell was made at and for Gaeamsa Temple in 1689, weighed about 90kg, and was financed by Kim Seong-geon, Jongnim, Cheonhae and Hyejong.
- Forms
- This temple bell is shaped somewhat like an artillery shell, as its body gradually widens from top to middle before tapering downward slightly. Situated on the “heavenly plate” (cheonpan) at the top the “dragon hoop” (yongnyu) is a small loop ornately carved with a dragon’s head with a magic pearl in its mouth, which was used to hang the bell from the ceiling of the bell tower, and a “sound tube” (eumtong) carved in the shape of a bamboo shoot.
The upper band (sangdae) of the body is carved with a chain of square boxes, each of which contains a circle and 27 Brahman characters, while directly beneath the band are four square “milk chambers” (yugwak, also called yeongwak, meaning “lotus chamber”), each containing nine lotus flowers arranged in three rows, with each flower consisting of eight petals, with a “nipple” (yudu) at the center. Each of the four spaces between the square boxes is carved with an image of a Bodhisattva standing on a cloud, wearing a bejeweled crown, with a halo around his head, his hands clasped in prayer. The lower part of bell, which has no striking point, bears an inscription stating that the bell was made “in the fourth month of the 28th Kangxi Year [i.e. 1689] with 150 geun [approx. 90kg] of copper donated by Kim Seong-geon, Jongnim, Cheonhae and Hyejong. The lower band (hadae) running around the mouth of the bell is carved with a lotus flower and vine motif. The dragon-shaped hoop on the head of the bell consists only of the dragon’s head and claws, as the dragon’s body is designed to twist around the sound tube. The bell measures 89cm in height, and has a circumference of 61.5cm at the mouth.
- Characteristics
- The Bronze Bell of Gaeamsa Temple is characterized by “milk chambers” and images of standing bodhisattvas arranged alternately on the upper part of the bell, an inscription of Brahman script carved in relief along the lower part, a bell head attached with a loop featuring a dragon’s head and claws, and a sound tube with a dragon body’s twisting around it. Unusually, it has no striking point. The lower part of the bell bears an inscription carved in relief which records various facts about the bell, including its production date and weight.
- Historical Significance
- The Bronze Bell of Gaeamsa Temple is regarded as an important material for research on temple bells of the late Joseon period as its inscription records such details as the date of its production, the temple for which the bell was made, its weight, and the names of the people who financed its production.