Korean Buddhist sculpture is one of the major areas of Korean art. Buddhism, a religion originating in what is now India, was transmitted to Korea via China in the late fourth century. The religion inspired the production of temple architecture and devotional art. The Yon'ga Buddha, Goguryeo, comprises an interesting part of the subject of Yon'ga Buddha, Goguryeo.
One of the oldest surviving Korean Buddhas discovered so far is the Yon'ga (Revised Romanization: Yeon-ga) Buddha. It is the only one of a thousand commissioned that has survived. This somehow crudely carved statue is named after the inscription on its back that mentions a previously unknown Goguryeo reign period. Though it was discovered in Uiryong in Gyeongsangnam-do, former Silla territory, the inscription clearly states the statue was cast in Nangnang (present-day Pyongyang), Goguryeo. The value of the statue lies in the fact that it has a clear date of manufacture, 539, and its provenance.
Additionally, it proves that images from Goguryeo were sent to Silla. Yon'ga Buddha, Goguryeo, is a gilt bronze statue, 16.3 cm. in height. Yon'ga Buddha Goguryeo, The prototype of this Buddha derives from the non-Chinese Tuoba clan of the Xianbei people who established the Northern Wei dynasty in northern geographic China. It adorns the National Museum of Korea.
The Yon'ga Buddha, Goguryeo, depicts motion and dynamism typical of Goguryeo art. The Yon'ga Buddha, Goguryeo, is a typical of Korean Buddhist sculptures in many ways:
- The abahya (no fear) mudra in its upraised proper right hand while the proper left hand displays the verada (wish-granting) mudra, which is uniquely Korean style.
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- The the folding of the last two fingers of the proper left hand to the palm is also typically Korean.
- The Yon'ga Buddha also displays other attributes common to early Goguryeo Buddhas, including the lean face, prominent protuberances on the head (Sanskrit: ushnisa), large hands disproportionate to the body, an emphasis on the front of the figures, fishtail flaring of the robes on the sides, and the flame imagery on the halo.
Explore the facinating world of Buddhist sculpture, specially Korean Buddhist sculpture, in buddhistsculptures.com.
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