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The Wooden Ksitigarbha Triad and Ten Underworld Kings of Dalseongsa Temple in Mokpo

목포 달성사 목조지장보살삼존상 및 시왕상 일괄 ( 木浦 達聖寺 木造地藏菩薩三尊像 및 十王像 一括 )

Heritage Search Detail
Classification Treasure
Name of Cultural Properties The Wooden Ksitigarbha Triad and Ten Underworld Kings of Dalseongsa Temple in Mokpo
Quantity 19 statues, 13 prayers
Designated Date 2019.01.03
Age Joseon Period
Address Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do

The Wooden Ksitigarbha Triad and Ten Underworld Kings of Dalseongsa Temple in Mokpo is a group of nineteen Buddhist statues, including Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and his acolytes, the Ten Underworld Kings, Judges and Messengers, made in 1565 by a group of five monk-sculptors led by Hyangeom.
The Ksitigarbha Triad is placed at the center of the altar and is flanked by two groups of three Underworld Kings. The other four kings are placed on the side altars, two on each side altar. The statues of the Buddhist underworld deities enshrined in Dalseongsa Temple are the only known example of the complete group of underworld deities made before the Imjin waeran (1592-1598), the seven-year war waged between Korea and Japan after the Japanese invasion of the Korean Peninsula in 1592. The statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is unique in that it is one of the three Ksitigarbha statues made in the early Joseon period, the other two being those enshrined in Muwisa and Cheongnyangsa Temples, and displays the relaxed posture of lalitasana. The neatly finished, realistic depiction and elegant forms of the deities, together with the prayers written at the time of the original production and renovation, make the statues an important part of the heritage of Korean Buddhist sculpture.