Abstract

Yongjang temple site, located nearby the peak of Geumobong, Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju is first appealed on the ‘Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms’ volume 4 <E‒hae>, No. 5 <Hyeunyuga, Haehwaum>. Accordingly, the monk Taehyeon who was believed to existed under the rule of King Gyeongdeok(Unified Silla Period, 742‒765) and Mireukjangyuk statue had been shown at this temple. The most representative features of this three‒leaves seated stone Buddha are the hand mudra, seat types and recorded Jangyukmireuk statues. This work therefore highlights the features, original production date, iconography and the reconstruction of this seated stone Buddha. Given the characteristics of the Buddha such as the proportion, garment fold, and decorative patterns of sacerdotal robes, and inverted triangle robes which cover under the right knees, this Buddha sustained the typical features of the 7th century but it holds more soft and natural points. Also the garments which totally draw under the right knee and the robes cover all the seats(Sanghyeonjwa), in the mean time, show the typology of 8th century Buddhas. Particularly the inverted triangle garments had been appealed from the Buddha sculpture of Yongjang temple which can be presumed the origin of late 8th century over the Mt. Namsan. The robes cover the total seat(Sanghyeonjwa) is different from the ones of 7th to early 8th century Buddhas but this type can be traced from the wooden sculptures of Geumgangbong Temple and Songgwang Temple which seemed to be produced around 8th century of Tang Dynasty. Therefore this sculpture of Buddha had been related to the ‘Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms’ <Hyeunyuga, Haehwaum> and its monk Taehyeon. To a certain extent, it had been made in the middle 8th century. In terms of the iconography, it can be assumed as the Mireuk statue, which appealed in the ‘Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms’. Main features are the reversed hand mudra and three level seats. The mudra, compared to the ones from the China, seemed to be used since West‒Wi to Tang Dynasty, and also it can be replaced with the ones of Mireuk Buddha. The clues of Mireuk statues are based on the three times sermons at the Hwarimwon Yonghwa recorded on the Bulseol Mireuk Hasaengkyeong, Bulseol Mireuk Daeseong Bulkyeong. After the three sermons, eight supernatural powers according to the records support the theory of Mireuk statue. Given that the religion of Mireuk had just appealed in the Unified Silla which had no certain iconographical understanding of the Mireuk Buddha, this hypothesis is quite concrete idea.