Volta
Culture1348

Ten-story Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa

A Yuan-influenced ten-story marble pagoda was erected at Gyeongcheonsa in Gaepung; it inspired the Wongaksa pagoda of early Joseon.

Ten-story stone pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa (1348), National Museum of Korea
Ten-story stone pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa (1348), National Museum of Korea

Ethan Doyle White · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Built in 1348, the fourth year of King Chungmok, it bears an inscription praying for the well-being of the Yuan imperial house and the Goryeo royal family. It is made of grey marble, and its base and lower three stories are cross-shaped in plan, like the character 亞. Base and body are densely carved with Buddhas, bodhisattvas and Buddhist scenes, unlike ordinary Goryeo granite pagodas. About 13.5 m tall, it is a designated National Treasure.

In 1907 the Japanese Imperial Household Minister Tanaka Mitsuaki had it dismantled and shipped to Japan; criticism at home and abroad forced its return in 1918. It has stood inside the National Museum of Korea since 2005.

Show on the map

The map in 1348

Open the full map

OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors

States and rulers at the time
Goryeo — King Chungmok → King Chungjeong
Places
Ten-story Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa

Before and after

Earlier
1310 Goryeo Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara
Later
1350 Eungjinjeon Hall, Seongbulsa, Hwangju

Themes that include this event

  • Changes in PagodasAD 634 – 1467

    From Baekje stone pagodas copying timber ones and Silla pagodas copying brick ones, to Unified Silla three-story pagodas and stupas, Goryeo multi-sided pagodas and Yuan-influenced marble towers

  • GaeseongAD 901 – 2003

    From Wang Geon, lord of Songak, to the Kaesong Industrial Complex — Gaegyeong, Goryeo’s capital for five centuries, and home of the Song merchants