Week 6: Seokguram Grotto

proper title of the seokguram…

seokguram grotto

time period:

8th C.

location:

gyeongju

Unified Silla’s inspiration to Create the Land of Buddha in Gyeongju

• Unified Silla rulers wanted to transform Gyeongju into a sacred Buddhist landscape (“Buddha World” on earth) → protected and inhabited by Buddhist deities.

• allowed merit and religious devotion

how is the seokguram grotto arranged on the inside?

central buddha is surrounded by by bodhisattvas, disciples, guardians, and heavenly beings in hierarchical order

what did the seokguram grotto symbolize

that silla had become buddha’s chosen land after unification of the 3 kingdoms

what inspired by what

• main buddha was modeled after the sacred buddha image at Bodh Gaya in India

• showed Silla’s effort to connect gyeongju w/ holy sites in Buddhism

when did seokguram get popular

• during the japanese colonial rule (1910—1945)

• japanese scholars and officials promoted it as one of East Asian’s greatest Buddhist monuments

how did colonial authorities present seokguram

• as evidence of korea’s historical connection to other East Asian countries

• influences (china/japan)

what did restoration projects allow japanese authorities to do

allow them to present themselves as “protectors” of korea’s cultural heritage

how was the seokguram interpretated at this time

• using the monument to justify Japanese rule

• portraying korea as a culture in need of japan’s presveration/management