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Mok-A Buddhist Museum |
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Introduction to Mok-A Buddhist
Museum |
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| Mok-A
Buddhist Museum was established to inherit and develop
Korean traditional woodworking arts and Buddhist
arts. This museum has been committed to the culture
business as a professional private museum since
the enshrinement ceremony of Maitreya Triad Grand
statue at the outdoor exhibition site in June 1994.
It opened Traditional Buddhist culture classes and
held annual exhibitions for the development of Korean
culture. Moreover, it introduces to the public Korean
Buddhist materials and invaluable data on woodworking
crafts. It is planning many projects to restore
and can work to inherit our traditional arts. |
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Objectives of Establishment |
Develop
a site where we pass on traditional woodworking crafts.
Preserve Korean traditional Buddhist sculpture techniques
and develop them in new, creative ways by operating a
specialized institution.
Hand down superior traditional industrial arts to our
offspring.
Appreciate Buddhism related cultural inheritance and modern
Buddhist sculptures in the same place, through which we
can learn our predecessors' skills and spirit.Search,
preserve, and hand down our cultural inheritance, which
might be easily forgotten despite its cultural superiority.
Help develop regional culture in Yochu and encourage Korean
people to enjoy our culture. |
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Introduction to the Exhibition
Site |
Front View |
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exhibition facilities of the museum are composed of one
main building, an outdoor sculpture park, a relics management
room, and several traditional buildings such as House
of the Big Lesson, Haneorulleuljip, and Gate of the Mind.
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First Basement - Hall of the Kings of Hell |
Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva is enshrined in the center as a major statue
with 10 other Kings of Hell. One can readily understand
how things in the hall and statues are located. Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva and other statues are all made of wood. Ksitigarbha
is gold-gilt and other statues are decorated with many
different colors and designs.
Ten kings are supposed to be accompanied by two young
monks respectively (evil managing one young monk and good
managing the other). At the 'Hall of the Kings of Hell',
faith in Ksitigarbha and Ten Kings is exercised by enshrining
them. People are supposed to go through the 10 trials
after death in front of the 'Kings of Hell'. Those who
have committed crimes usually fall into hell. It is Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva that follows and saves people in hell.
The '49th day religious service' is held for deceased
parents on these days, and they are supposed to be tried
by the 7th King, Taesan. Offspring usually give service
by praying for their deceased parents' sake. Some people
hold the pre-49th religious service because it is better
when they are alive. The 'Hall of the Kings of Hell' shows
that Buddhism was closed related with our customs after
the Joseon Dynasty.
The Buddhist picture of the 'Kings of Hell' is hung in
this place. The picture has a scene where sinful people
are tormented in several areas of hell, thus it encourages
people to live a good life.
'Hall of the Kings of Hell' has more than 20 statues such
as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Domyeongjonja, King of mudokgwi,
Three ksitigarbhas statue, Ten Kings, judges, the deceased,
and young monks. This is one of the places which has more
Buddhist statues than other museums. |
First Basement - Theater |
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is the place for screening "The tree aspiring to
be a Buddha" produced by the National Media and Publishing
Center. This film enables us to easily understand the
process of how woodworks displayed in the museum were
created. Cultural school classes are also given here.
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First Floor - Young monk exhibition room |
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A
young monk is a child before entering the Buddhist
priesthood. In Buddhism, the young monk was described
as the one who supports the major worship object
rather the object to worship. That is, the young
monk is described as the flower boy who offers flowers
while standing beside the objects to worship or
major figure statue, or Sudhana who seeks Buddhist
truth, offering the young monk and a witness, who
helps the trial of the King of Hell. |
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Second Floor - Rhan Hall |
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"Five
Hundred Rhan Hall"
Rhan is the abbreviation of Arhan that generally
describes the superior disciplines performing pious
acts.
In describing Rhan, the free posture is used in
description, unlike other Buddhist paintings that
keeps the defined posture in line with the one inherited
from the old days. Sometimes, Rhan has a grotesque
or funny appearance. It is said that it comes from
the purpose of expressing latitude of mind welling
up from the enlightened person. Rhan is described
in a sculpture but more frequently described in
paintings.The Ten Disciplines started to build the
Rhan statue. |
The Ten Discipline Statue in Seokguram shows that
Rhan was recognized from the early stage of Buddhism.
It developed to 16 Rhans and 500 Rhans.
Five hundred Rhans in the sculpture are described
differently by their sitting posture, clothes, and
facial expression. This sculpture shows 500 Rhans
who are told to come together at the time of the
first Sutras collection. The relic shows us the
deep faith in Rhan the Goryeo Dynasty already had.
These Rhan sculptures were made over five years
using seven different trees. |
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Third Floor - Wooden sculpture exhibition room |
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The
third exhibition room exhibits mainly works of Mok-A
Park Chan Soo and his awarded works and the curator
of the museum, and has been appointed as major Intangible
Cultural Treasure of Korea No. 108.In the ceiling,
two huge dragons are protecting the exhibition room.
20 Pasangdo (a series of paintings describing Buddha's
biography) are posted on the wall, and statues,
the Twelve horary signs, Beopsang (monk's seat),
and Bodhisattva. |
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Outdoor Sculpture Park |
-Stone
Standing Statute of Avalokitesvara in White (Mok-A, Park,
Chan-soo)
It is also called Avalokitesvara
in White. This statue wears the white cloth from the head
and the supporting material is also white. It was made
by the craftsman's creative spirit instead of Buddhist
scripture after the Dang Dynasty in China. In most of
the cases, the Avalokitesvara in White statue was made
with a soft configuration. It also aims for modern formative
beauty by emphasizing the soft and worn granite material.
Granite stone from Yeoju that contains much white color
was used to emphasize the image of the white color in
the Avalokitesvara in White.
-Stone Standing Statue of Maitreya Triad (Mok-A,
Park, Chan Soo)
The Maitreya Triad Granite is a popular
style since the Era of Three Kingdoms, which positions
Samantabhadra at the right side and Munsu Maitreya at
the left side as the servant Maitreya. The Stone Standing
Statue of Maitreya Triad does not stick to traditional
style but proactively accommodates a modern modeling style
to create the creative Triad icon style.
-Buddha (Park, Chan-bong)
Re-interprets the head shape of Buddha as a plain hairstyle
instead of the shellfish one using the Sakyamuni the object
of worship in Seokguram as a model.
-Seated Buddha Granite (Park, Chan-bong, 1995)
Re-configures the left stand and hat's shape harmoniously
by using the Seated Buddha Granite in Palgongsan, Daegu
(late 8th century, unified Shilla Dynasty). It looks like
the hand shape of the Image of hangmachokji but the left
hand is weaker. |
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Collection of Relics |
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Avatamsaka Sutra Chapter 24 |
 (ÓÞÛ°ÎÃÝÖü¤åñÌè
ïöêªÜâ Ïéð¯ì£ä¨ÞÌ ) |
Era: Goryeo Dynasty (12C ~ 13C)
Style: Wood engraving
Published in Joseon Dynasty (14C)
Size: 30.5¡¿12.3cm
National Treasure No. 1146
Material: Elder tree paper |
| Chapter
24 of Jeongwonbon 40 chapters, which were
translated by Banya in the Dang Dynasty in
China and printed out using the Haeinsa daejanggyeongpan.
The letter "Jung" is written with
gold power mixed in the glue under the title,
which stands for Jeongwonbon. Wood engraving
was supposed to have been created around 12C~13C,
and book publication seems to have been made
around 14C, judging from the cover decoration
method of writing the title in gold and applying
the bosanghwa pattern with the gold powder
mixed with a glue to the dark blue cover.
It belongs to a woodblock-printed book like
National Treasure No. 1017, but has a different
cover decoration. |
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Saddharmapundarika Sutra Chapter 1 |
| (ÙØÛöæåü¤Ìè
Ïéð¯ìé ) |
Era: Joseon Dynasty, 1401 (1st year of King
Taejong)
Size: 26 ¡¿ 10.6cm
National Treasure No. 1145
Material: Elder tree paper |
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basic sutra of the family of the Cheontae
and can be shortened to the Scripture of beopwa.
In 406, many translated versions by Gumaraseup
in the Post Jin Dynasty of China were introduced
to Korea. This sutra is composed of 28 chapters
in total. Among these sutras, its 25th chapter
- Saddharmapundarika Sutra were esp- ecially
cherished in Korea and separately published
as the Scriptures of gwaneum. This sutra was
also trans- lated into Korean by Gumaraseup
but no publication record is available. Therefore,
details on this sutra are not known. It is
assumed to have been published with the Scriptures
suneungeom, which Sin Chong engraved with
his hands by theorder of King Taejo in 1401
and was appointed as National Treasure No.
759, because the character style of the main
text is the same. It is composed of seven
chapters in total and Chapter 3 is |
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appointed as National Treasure No. 968.
It is a folding type and the title is written with
the gold power mixed with glue on a dark blue color
background. The book head is decorated with the
Picture of byeon- sang, which summarizes the sutra
contents. |
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Maitreya Seminary Prediction Chapter 6~10 |
| (çßÒ·Ú¯öíÔ³íÞóÕÛö
Ïéð¯ë»~ä¨ ) |
Era: Joseon Dynasty, 1474 (5th year of King
Seongjong)
Size: 33.4¡¿22cm
National Treasure No. 1144
Material: Elder tree paper |
The
sacrament of penance is also called Chambeopgangi.
Maitreya Seminary Prediction is the Buddhist
ritual whereby the king worships Buddha, reads
the sutra, and makes a confession in the attendance
of his ancestors, queen, and mother in the
royal court.
This block book was published by the royal
household in 1474 (5th year of King Seongjong)
so that Queen Jeong Hui, the queen of King
Sejo in the Joseon Dynasty, prays for the
repose of her grandson's queen Gonghye Han,
the queen of King Seongjong. According to
the epilogue in the last chapter, the royal
household ordered Governmental post of jijungchu
Seong Im to rewrite Jabisammaecham and Mitacham
in order to pray for the repose of Sejong,
Princess Soheon - King Sejong's que- en, Sejo,
Uigyeongdaewang King Deokjong - the eldest
son of King Sejo and Yejong, when Queen Gonghye
died. |
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King Seongjong and the royal family including queen
mother Insoo - mother of King Seongjong, queen mother
Inhye - the queen of King Yejong, prince Wolsan
and prince Jean as well as the princess, royal concubines,
and court ladies took part in the offering, and
Sin Mi, Hakyeol and Hakjo - the high priests at
that time took the lead in a good line of work.
The list of professional painters and engravers
working on the engraving block included Baek Jongrin,
I Jangson, Jang Makdong and I Yeongsan. This block
is the most elaborate work among those made by the
Joseon royal families. |
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Ten Kings of the Hell |
| (çßÒ·Ú¯öíÔ³íÞóÕÛö
Ïéð¯ë»~ä¨ ) |
Era: Joseon Dynasty (1828)
Size: 153.4¡¿106.2 cm
Material: Silk, panel and color painting.Mok-A
Museum
Paintings-143 |
The
title of the painting "Sikbonjasimjeichogangdaew-
ang" is written at the upper right side.
This painting describes the second King of
Hell - the king of choga- ngdae , and his
underworld. Canvas composition is divi- ded
into two parts - the upper middle emphasizes
the king of chogangdae in order to express
the underworld and the lower side describes
Hell.
The title of the painting (size: 36.3*3.8
cm) is written on the right upper side of
the painting.
The painting year is written at the bottom
with the left side of 8*42.1cm and the right
side of 7.1*43.6cm. The "Dogwangpallyeonsulja"
is marked in this spot, which stands for the
year 1828.
There is a cloth-attachment mark on the spot
that is 31.4cm from the left and 32cm from
the right. |
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exfoliation is found at the right side of the king
of chogangdae, and cracks are found at the edge
of the painting. Most of the gold color in the painting
is mounted with gold. For the edge of the lower
ends of clothes, the yellow background is painted
and the pattern is applied. For the cloth crease,
the red color background is painted first and the
cloth crease line is drawn. This painting is drawn
as if filling up space. It is interesting that the
peach-shape Chinese ink water container and luxurious
boxes were put on the desk of the king of chogangdae. |
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Sinjungdo |
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at Mitasa, Oksu-don, Seoul ) |
Era: Joseon Dynasty The first month
of
Dongchionyeongimyo year (1866 ? 1879 ?)
Size: 119¡¿95.2
Material: Hemp, panel, color paintingMok-A
Museum,
Paintings-175 |
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center of the painting is divided into two
sections. The bottom section contains Cheongnyong(Dongjin
buddhist) seated towards the front and the
upper section shows Akra-Devendra, and Eight
guardians is painted on both sides. Other
family members, lady attendants, and Akra-Devendra
holding Beon holds a lotus flower stalk in
the right hand. Something looking like an
8-folded screen encircles these figures and
the space is filled with a cloud. A cubic
effect is given to the cloud by applying white
color to the edge. |
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How to Find Us |
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Location |
| Mok-A Museum,
Ihori Kangchonmyon, Yochugun Kyonggi-Do 469-860(zip
code) |
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Directions |
By
bus
By car (from Seoul):
Youngdong Expressway -> Yoju Toll-Gate ->
Yojuup (Yoju town) -> State
Highway #42 to Wonju -> Mok-A Museum (total travel
time: about 70 min.) |
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Opening Hours |
Winter
season (November - March):
09:30 am - 05:00 pm
Summer season (April - October):
09:00 am - 6:00 pm
Open throughout the year
--There will be a two-week
advanced notice in case it needs to be closed.
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