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| The Standing Buddhas of Yongmi-ri. |
By Robert Neff
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| An engraving of Yongmi-ri, Isabella Bird Bishop, circa 1897. |
One of the men, Homer Hulbert, wrote:
"Surrounded by and half hidden among beautiful pine trees, they form an exceedingly novel and pleasing break in the monotony of the road."
He was not the only one to be impressed with their sudden appearance. In the mid-1890s, Isabella Bird Bishop, an English author and traveler, wrote:
"Beyond Ko-yang, standing out in endless solemnity above a pine wood on the side of a steep hill, are two of the strangely few antiquities of which Korea can boast. These are two mirioks, colossal busts, about 35 feet in height, carved out of the solid rock. They are supposed to be relics of the very early days of Korean Buddhism, when men were religious enough to toil at such stupendous works and to represent the male and female elements in nature. They are side by side. One wears a round and the other a square hat. The Buddhistic calm, or rather I should say apathy, rests on their huge faces, which have looked stolidly on many a change in Korea..."
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| The Buddhas from a distance. |
Even after Bishop's visit, the images continued to witness change. In 1935, Yongam Temple was built and perhaps that is when the legend began.
It is said that the statues were built during the reign of Seonjong of Goryeo (1083-1094) after his queen had seen two monks in a dream asking her for food and drink. The queen, desperate to have a son, told her husband of her dream and besieged him to send some men out to find the monks. But when the men arrived at the spot in her dream, they found only the large granite formation.
The king commanded that the granite be carved into the shape of the monks and shortly after the carvings were complete, the queen gave birth to a son. Word spread, and soon the site was popular with women seeking to be blessed with the birth of a son.
There were other changes. During the Korean War, Janji Mountain was the site of a fierce battle between North and South Korean soldiers. Bullet holes from the battle still scar the statues' faces.
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| From Yongam Temple. |
According to Jihoon Suk, a fountain of information, on October 11, 1953, President Syngman Rhee visited the site and "thought that the Buddhas lacked a bit of symmetry between them, so he requested to have an accompanying statue on the shoulder be built." His request was complied with and for a couple of decades there were actually three Buddhist images overlooking the valley.
The third image has since been removed and now enjoys a place of honor at the base of the hill next to a small seven-story pagoda commemorating the visit of the former president.
Change is again in the air and perhaps the Standing Buddhas of Yongmi-ri will eventually see the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
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| The steps leading from the temple to the Buddhas. |
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| A coin on each lap. |
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| The view of the Buddhas from behind. |
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| What the statues of Yongmi-ri see. |
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| The third Buddha image and the seven-story pagoda. |
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