-
English Books on Korea... and More!
-
Visit My Brother's Film Review Site
Buseoksa Temple
This entry was written by Robert Koehler, posted on October 13, 2008 at 12:59 am, filed under Korean Culture, Photos of Korea. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
19 Comments
The last photo would make a nice desktop image.
Great photos as usual.
Buseoksa is gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful temples I’ve seen. I went there with my parents for a holiday and was very impressed.
A very special place. I usually go there at least once a year in the Fall, but I’m not sure I’ll make it this year; so I appreciate the photos all the more. Now if I could only get my hands on a box of the local red grapes.
I’ve always wondered how it managed to escape the depradations of Hideyoshi’s armies.
Floating Rock Temple 浮石寺 ?
Yep; odd, though, that there doesn’t seem to be a shot of the floating rocks in the temple webpage photo gallery. I’ve got a few good pics of them, but unfortunately on another computer.
Phenomenal photos, Robert!
One of the best! Profound, beautiful and characteristic. I’ve guided many groups there, including one of hardened cynical veteran European travel-writers (almost exactly 4 yrs ago), and it has never failed to impress, if not overwhelm. Itself one of the best replies to those who blather “Korea has nothing to see, after you’ve been to Bulguk-sa”.
And those are some of the most gorgeous photos i’ve ever seen of it, Robert! You are evolving towards masterhood with that contraption…
so , actual floating rocks, a metaphor, or rocks that appear to float , ie: on the horizon?
If there are actual floating rocks, are they well guarded?
I’ve always wanted to have a floating rock garden.
Re #3: well, they couldn’t get EVERYWHERE, just not enough time… The protective remoteness of this area is why one of the Joseon Royal Archives was established just east of Buseok-sa (at Taebaek-san Gakhwa-sa).
Re #4 #5: Yes, Floating Rock, from the famous story of its establishment by Uisang against local resistance more than 1700 years ago. And there’s just one of them, it has those characters carved into it; it now rests just on the west side of the Muryangsu-jeon Main Hall. photos of it can be seen on my site, like when we held the Baekdu-daegan Expedition Temple-Stay there:
http://san-shin.net/Baekdudaegan-Expdtn-3.html
(bottom of page, 2nd-to-last photo)
The legend, with shot painting of Uisang threatening the villagers with the Floating Rock, is recounted in my 1999 book as an example of native-religious resistance against Buddhism in Shilla….
appears to float, as the point of contact between the “floating” rock and those on which it rests is hiddeen from sight deep in the crevice that gives the impression of flotation. Not guarded at all, though it ought to be, against knuckleheads who crawl into the crevice for a photo op.
The floating rock can be seen in the picture on Mason’s webpage, but the illusion cannot be appreciated from that photo
<Re #3: well, they couldn’t get EVERYWHERE, just not enough time… The protective remoteness of this area is why one of the Joseon Royal Archives was established just east of Buseok-sa (at Taebaek-san Gakhwa-sa).
Taebaek-san Gakhwa-sa is rather remote an inaccessible, but Boseok-sa is just an easy hike up a very moderate incline at the ned of a broad not very deep valley not far from sites of major battles. Given Buseok-sa’s immense cultural and socio-political importance, it’s very difficult to understand why the Japanese didn’t go after it sometime during the nearly 8 year duration of the conflict
6 years, i’d thought (1592-8?). And, they just didn’t spend much time in the eastern mountains — didn’t burn Gangneung or raid the Diamond Mountains, either. They concentrated on the western half of Korea, where such wealth as there was, was concentrated. They were such, uhm, enthusiastic souvenier-collectors (early heroes of Korea’s tourism-history, in that!), and prbably thought that the east coast would be less-worthwhile — some fabulous architecture like Buseok-sa to enjoy burning, sure, but fewer “souveneirs” to ship back home. I’m just supposing….
1592-98 inclusive! Otherwise point taken, but Buseok - sa still is way west of Gangneung and even west and south of the really difficult mountains (at whose entrance it stands, as it were), easily accessible from what was the main route of advance of the Japanese forces up through Mungyeong Pass and with a wealth of “souvenirs” to loot before torching the place - consider what’s left in the little museum there even today, not to mention the sculpture, etc.
But we can certainly agree that it’s a jewel and be thankful that, whatever the reason, it survived.
Yes we can…
Thank Dao also that the pirates were turned away from Haein-sa, and hadn’t the time to destroy the stoneworks in Gyeongjuand Jiri-san… small blessings we can appreciate.
That third shot is nothing short of amazing, Mr. Koehler.
That’s what she said
runs for cover.