| Maae Seokbul stone Buddha (14th century or earlier) other sites in Gumi |
Gumi, Korea |
Click on the above images for larger views
The Maae Seokbul stone Buddha
was carved sometime in the late Goryeo (Koryö) dynasty (10th-14th centuries). It takes about
an hour of steep climbing to reach from the base of the mountain.
The figure is 5.5 meters tall and
was carved on the corner of a cliff face, unlike most bas-reliefs or statues
which are carved on flat surfaces. The face is relatively plump but the
narrow eyes and small mouth are different from other Bodhisattva statues of
the Silla period. The gentle curves of the shoulders and arms match the
face, which indicates that a very skilled carver made the statue. However,
the right hand holding the hem of the clothing, the oversized left hand, the
dull feet, and the stiff"U" shaped folds in the clothing are duller than other
Silla pieces, suggesting to art historians that it was carved during the Goryeo
era, when statues became more formal. These characteristics are also apparent
in the lotus flower pedestal shaped in a half circle that "supports" the statue,
and the 'Buddhist halo of light' markings which seem to emanate from the body.
Nearby is the small hermitage
Yaksa-am, which figures in an old legend: Long ago, a hermit lived in a remote
cave on Gumosan mountain. Though he could find nothing to eat, he stayed
alive by eating rice that mysteriously came from a hole in the cave, falling
at the rate of one grain a second: enough to live by, but no better.
Becoming greedy, the man tried to enlarge the hole. Instead, his greed
provoked the wrath of whatever power provided the rice, and the flow stopped.
Nowadays only water flows from the hole!
(This is considered Treasure
490)
Bibliography
All images copyright 2000 Abe
Ahn and Tim Ciccone
Nilsen, Robert South Korea
Handbook
Moon Publications, Inc. China.
1997.
Cultural Properties Administration:
http://www.ocp.go.kr/english/