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Culturerebuilt 1376

Muryangsujeon Hall, Buseoksa, Yeongju

A Goryeo column-head-bracket hall rebuilt in 1376, famous for its entasis columns and hipped-and-gabled roof, enshrining a clay seated Amitabha.

Muryangsujeon, Buseoksa, Yeongju — a jusimpo hall with entasis columns and a hipped-and-gabled roof
Muryangsujeon, Buseoksa, Yeongju — a jusimpo hall with entasis columns and a hipped-and-gabled roof

Bernard Gagnon · CC0 · Source

The main hall of Buseoksa, founded by Uisang in 676, enshrines Amitabha. Records found during repairs in 1916 show it was rebuilt in 1376 (2nd year of King U); it was first built earlier still. It is counted the second oldest wooden building after Geungnakjeon at Bongjeongsa.

It is in the jusimpo style, and its entasis columns and hipped-and-gabled roof with upturned corners embody the beauty of Goryeo architecture. Inside sits a clay seated Amitabha (National Treasure), unusually placed on the west side facing east.

It is a National Treasure, and Buseoksa became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 as one of the "Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea".

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The map in 1376

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States and rulers at the time
Goryeo — King U
Places
Buseoksa Temple, Yeongju

Before and after

Earlier
1374 The Mokho Rebellion and Choe Yeong’s Campaign to Tamna
Later
1377 Printing of the Jikji

Themes that include this event

  • Changes in Architecture1200 – 1910

    From Geungnakjeon at Bongjeongsa to Seokjojeon at Deoksugung — Goryeo bracket styles, Joseon palaces, walls and multi-storey temple halls, and the Western buildings of the Korean Empire