Abandoned site in Buron-myeon, Wonju
An old zelkova tree guards Beopcheonsaji in Buron-myeon, Wonju. The national treasure Jigwangguk Leaning Tower, which was taken out of here by the Japanese in 1911, is expected to return after 110 years of wandering, so the empty temple site is not lonely.
The name is grand once. The literal interpretation of Wonju Buron-myeon is’a town discussing wealth’. At the junction of the Namhan River and the Seomgang River, Heungwon-chang, an advocate for litigation and storage of national songs, was established during the Goryeo Dynasty, which was the main point of economic activity. As supplies from various regions were gathered and people came and went, there was a place to exchange news, and because there were many people with rich insights in politics and economy, it was naturally a place of public debate. Not only money and people were crowded, but Buddhist temples, which were the guiding ideology of the country at the time, also flourished. There were two large temples that produced a monk who could become a teacher of the country, the national temple. Just as Heungwonchang disappeared without a trace with only its name left, the two temples near the Namhan River, Beopcheonsa and Geodonsa, are now only a representative temple site in Wonju.
110 years of wandering life, Beopcheonsaji waiting for Jigwangguksa tower
The temple site where the temple has disappeared is inevitable. All of the colorful and magnificent wooden buildings are burned away, and the stone that supported the pillars is thought to be a place that reflects the fleetingness of the times. Beopcheonsaji in Buron-myeon is a little different. Stone relics left in the corners fill the empty space. The temple site itself has been designated as a private site, and there are two national treasures in addition to the Danggan holdings listed in the cultural heritage materials. However, among the two national treasures, there is only the Jigwangguksa Tower (National Treasure No. 59), which records the achievements of Jigwangguksa Temple, and the Jigwangguksatap (National Treasure No. 101), which contains his soul, is currently being kept at the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Daejeon. .
The ruins of an old building are revealing at the Beopcheonsa Temple site, which has been excavated for about 15 years. Jigwangguksatapbi, a national treasure, is located at the foot of the mountain right in the center in the photo.
Wonju cultural tourism commentator Jeong Tae-jin unfolds a picture of the tower at the site of the Jigwangguk Leaning Tower at Beopcheonsaji Temple.
Jigwangguk Leaning Tower at Beopcheonsaji Temple, photographed at the National Palace Museum in Seoul in 2015, before moving to the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Daejeon. Provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration
Jigwangguksa pagoda is the pagoda of the Guksa Haerin (984~1070) of the Goryeo Dynasty. With its unique structure, splendid sculpture, and outstanding majestic decoration, it is a relic that the Cultural Heritage Administration has selected as the most unique and splendid pagoda ever. The history of the tower, which has been wandering for 110 years, is evocative. This pagoda was taken out by the Japanese Moriga, an antique dealer in 1911, during the Japanese occupation, and moved to Murakami Hospital in Myeong-dong, Seoul. The following year, it was sold to businessman Tsuneichi Wada, moved to the garden of his mansion, and then sold to Baron Heitaro Fujita before moving to Osaka, Japan. At the end of the same year, it is returned to Korea by the Korean government-general, which confirmed illegal sale and export. This is not interpreted as a measure based on the conviction that Joseon will remain a Japanese colony forever, not as a goodwill to cherish Korean cultural properties.
Even after returning to Korea, Seung-Tap was still wandering. The pagoda, which was located in the garden in front of the Joseon Products Gongjinhoe Museum of Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1915, was moved to the vicinity of Geunjeongmun on the east side of Gyeonghoeru in 1923, and was dismantled in 1932, and rebuilt between Sajeongjeon and Mount Ami on the east side of Gyeonghoeru. The suffering did not end here. The tower, which was smashed into 12,000 pieces by bombing during the Korean War, is restored with cement in 1957 by collecting the scattered pieces. In 1990, the Gyeongbokgung Palace restoration project was carried out and it was relocated to the backyard of the National Palace Museum (then National Museum of Korea). The tower, which was coarsely restored with the addition of mortar, was moved to the Conservation Science Center of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in Daejeon in 2016 after a number of cracks and dropouts were confirmed as a result of detailed diagnosis. In particular, jadeite stone (headstone) was not a stone but a lump of cement. The spirit of the high priest, who left its place and wandered around nine times, is about to return to his hometown, Wonju, after completing the preservation process for about five years. It has not been decided whether it will be built in front of the original place, Tapby, or whether to build a separate shelter and store it with Tapby.
Jigwangguksa tower monument at Beopcheonsaji. The site where the Jigwangguk Leaning Tower, which will return in 110 years, is a space decorated with a flower bed in front of the turtle’s head.
The picture of the upper ring of the body of Jigwangguksatapbi. The sculpture is so delicate and colorful that you can’t believe it was about 1,000 years ago.
The sculpture on the side of the body stone of Jigwangguksatapbi is also full of vitality.
Jigwangguksatapbi, waiting for the pagoda, is also considered a masterpiece that gives a glimpse of the art spirit of the masons of the day. The turtle on the pedestal, as if swimming above the clouds, has a long beard under his chin and opens his eyes, so it looks like a dragon. The use of two birds engraved on both sides of the body stone is full of vitality as if it was alive. It is difficult to see with the naked eye, but the detailed sculpture on the upper part of the body is also a work that shows the craftsmanship of the mason at the time.
Beopcheonsa is a temple that played an important role as a Buddhist temple outside Kaesong, along with Geumsansa Temple in Gimje in the early Goryeo period. It is believed that it flourished as a representative temple of the Beopsangjong before the Mushin regime, supported by the royal family and the nobles of the Munbeol. There is a record that it was already ruined when Heo Gyun visited in 1609, so it is not known exactly when and how it died.
Stone materials whose exact location is unknown are scattered throughout Beopcheonsaji.
Some stones that are at risk of theft are collected and stored separately. Although the exact purpose is unknown, it is enough to stick his tongue out with the skill of sculpting hard granite as if it was a mochi.
Beopcheonsaji Danggan Holding. From here to Jigwangguksatapbi, it is more than 400m in a straight line.
A zelkova tree that stood guarding Beopcheonsaji. It is hollow, but it is as strong as an iron leg.
The entire site of Beopcheonsaji is about 150,000 square meters, the equivalent of a university campus. You have to walk for a long time from Dangganjiju at the mouth of the temple to Jigwangguksatapbi. The temple site seems to be a bit excited about the preparations for a national treasure returning in 110 years, with the private houses that had been on the precincts relocated for about 15 years and basic excavations were completed. Part of the site where the pavilion was located was renovated, centering on the remaining cornerstones, and the stone buried in the ground is welcoming visitors with the dirt removed. At first glance, a desolate temple site that looks like ruins is guarded by an old zelkova tree. It was empty enough to see the other side clearly, but the figure of a high priest standing firmly like an iron leg. He is a living witness who silently watched the rise and fall of this temple.
Seungtap that never came back, Geodonsa Temple that looks like Beopcheonsaji
Geodonsaji, which is about 3km (10km by car) in a straight line, also retains similar strength to Beopcheonsaji. Geodonsa Temple was first built around the 9th century in the late Silla period, expanded during the Goryeo Dynasty, and is believed to have been maintained until the early Joseon Dynasty. It was a major temple of the Began sect, which was the center of the Buddhist world in the early Goryeo period, but was later absorbed into the Cheontae sect.
A three-story stone pagoda and a pedestal on which a Buddha statue was placed remain at Geodonsa Temple in Buron-myeon, Wonju.
Zelkova tree at the corner of Geodonsaji. It is called the’tree that ate the rock’ because it is holding the stone shaft.
A large stone Buddha stand at Geodonsaji Temple in the shape of a jar. The whereabouts of the Buddha statue is in a strange state.
A large zelkova tree, estimated to be the age of the temple, is taking root in the field, wrapped around a stone shaft, and the Geumdang site, the auditorium site, the seungbang site, and the corridor are in a relatively neat state. In the temple site, there is a three-story stone pagoda (Treasure No. 750) and a large urn-shaped stone pedestal with a lost Buddha statue.
To the east, there is a monument of Wonguksa Temple (Treasure No. 78), which records the history of Jijong (930-1018). The clear’man (卍)’ character pattern on the shell contrasts with the’king’ of Jigwangguksatapbi. Wondongguk Leaning Tower (Treasure No. 190), a Budo paired with Tapbi, is located at the foot of the mountain behind the temple site. At a glance, there is little abrasion and the preservation condition is good, because it was newly built in 2007. In the 1910s, during the Japanese colonial period, the Yuandongguk Leaning Tower was also taken out to Seoul by Japanese people for garden decoration. In 1948, a pagoda found in a mansion in Seongbuk-dong was moved to Gyeongbokgung Palace and is now located in the grounds of the National Museum of Korea. Unlike Jigwangguk Leaning Tower, it is not possible to return to the hometown in the end, and a compromise was made by building a replica in its original location.
The stone for the monument of the original dynasty of Geodonsaji. The turtle shell has a clear’man (卍)’ and lotus pattern.
The Leaning Tower of Wondong at Geodonsaji Temple. It is a replica built in 2007 and the original is in the National Museum of Korea.
There is a huge Danggan post lying in the old Jeongsan branch school playground just below the temple site. Until the school closed, it would have been a good place for the children to sit side by side and to rest or bask in the sun. The reason why there is only one party holding to form a pair is not explained logically and is only conveyed in a humorous story. My sister and my younger brother made a bet on who first moved the Danggan stock produced at Sagimakgol at the foot of Mt. As a result, it is a legend that the landlord that my sister moved could not be built because there was no match. The closed school with the party holdings will be refurbished into the Wonju Geodonsaji Exhibition Hall and open to the public within this year. It means that the abandoned site and the closed school are combined to create another cultural space. Geodonsaji is half the size of Beopcheonsaji and is relatively neatly maintained, so it is a good place to immerse yourself in the cozy atmosphere of a forgotten temple site.
Dangganjiju lying in the closed school playground under Geodonsaji. It is in a state that only one pair has not been established.
A photo of Geodonsaji Exhibition Hall. Before maintenance, a three-story stone pagoda is surrounded by private houses. The exhibition hall is scheduled to open this year.
Like kneading granite… Heungbeopsaji and the disappeared cultural assets
If you go up a little along the Seomgang River from Buron-myeon, there is another abandoned site Heungbeopsaji in Jeongjeong-myeon. At the temple site, the vacuum metabolism tower (Treasure No. 463) and the three-story stone pagoda (Treasure No. 464) remain. After returning to Korea from the Tang Dynasty, Baek Dae-sa (869~940) became the royal family of King Taejo of Goryeo. Wangsa is a monk who can become a king’s teacher and is one level lower than that of Guksa. After staying at Heungbeopsa Temple in the 23rd year of King Taejo, Wang Geon wrote inscriptions, and Choi Gwang-yoon collected the writings of Taejong of the Tang Dynasty and built a rain.
The vacuum metabolic tower at Heungbeopsaji in Jejeong-myeon, Wonju. The body stone is stored in the National Museum of Korea.
Heungbeopsaji The head stone sculpture of the vacuum metabolism tower. You can vividly see the excellent technique of the mason who handled hard granite.
There are only pedestal stones and head stones on the site, and body stones with inscriptions are kept in the National Museum of Korea. Since the limbs are separated, it is a more severe fate than the Jigwangguk Leaning Tower of Beopcheonsaji or the Wondongguk Leaning Tower of Geodonsaji. In the meantime, it is fortunate that visitors can take a closer look at the headstone that is difficult to see because it is high. The name of the rain is engraved in the center of the front of the headstone, and a dragon swinging in the clouds is carved around it. The wriggling body movement was full of energy, and the beard and the scales were delicately expressed as if alive. Among the stone materials, the more you look at the craftsmanship of the mason at the time, when you treated hard granite as if you were kneading the dough.
Most of the temple sites, which would have been the largest temples of the day, are privately owned, so only the tower and the three-story stone pagoda are maintained. In the field facing Tapbi, a net is enclosed to prevent the access of wild animals, and a private house is located right behind it, compared to the two temple sites in Buron-myeon. The Budo-in vacuum tower and sarcophagus (Treasure No. 365) are also located on the grounds of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul after being moved to Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1931. As it is said that cultural assets are the most beautiful when they are in their original place, I hope that the soul of the vacuum ambassador who is wandering abroad will return to its original place someday.
Wonju = Text/Photo Choi Heung-soo reporter [email protected]
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