KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES Meeting the artist at Baekryeon Hermitage
Baekryeon Hermitage in Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
By Dale Quarrington
I’ve made it a bit of a personal mission to visit all of the traditional temples in my home province of South Gyeongsang Province over the past year. In total, there are currently 105 of these traditional temples. This little mini-adventure of my own creation has brought me to cities big and small. But in the process of completing one task, you sometimes complete a couple of others along the way.
Occasionally, I’ve been asked whether I know, or if it’s known, who created a certain painting or statue at a Korean temple or hermitage. And while it’s sometimes known, oftentimes it isn't. The perception I had about the creation of Buddhist artwork and artistry changed after a visit to one of the 105 traditional temples in South Gyeongsang Province.
Baekryeon Hermitage is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Jigul (896.9 meters) in Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province. Baekryeon Hermitage, which means "White Lotus Hermitage" in English, is said to have been founded in 1317. During the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, it's said that Gwak Jae-u (1552–1617), who was known as the "Red Robe General" and a military general in charge of part of the Righteous Army (Irregular Army) during the 1592-98 Imjin War, studied at Baekryeon Hermitage at the age of 16. Very little is known about the hermitage until 1893 when the monk Juseon rebuilt it. In more recent years, the hermitage has undergone numerous renovations including the reconstruction of the Daeung-jeon Hall.
As I always do, I took a slow stroll around the hermitage grounds, until I eventually arrived at the main hall. Housed inside the Daeung-jeon Hall is the "Wooden Seated Bodhisattva and Associated Relics, Baekryeonam Uiryeong," which is a provincial treasure.
What's peculiar about this main altar seated statue is its identity. While it wears a partially assembled crown, which is reminiscent of an image of Gwanseeum-bosal (Bodhisattva of Compassion), it also makes a mudra (ritualized hand gesture) that's reminiscent of Amita-bul (Buddha of the Western Paradise). Adding to this mystery is that the abbot of the hermitage kept referring to the wooden statue as Daesaeji-bosal (Bodhisattva of Wisdom and Power for Amita-bul). The statue's hair is parted in the middle, flows behind its ears and extends down both of its shoulders in three strands. The face is square in shape with a broad forehead, a prominent nose and meditative eyes. And the lips are slightly upturned in a subtle smile.
The Bodhisattva of Compassion inside the Daeung-jeon Hall / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
The style of the wooden statue is believed to date back to the Late Joseon period. The statue was created by eight sculptor monks that included Chong-ok and Gakcho, as well as three Buddhist artisans including Yanggong. Both Chong-ok and Gakcho were active from the late 17th to early 18th century. In 1703 they also helped create the statues inside the Gakhwang-jeon Hall at Hwaeomsa Temple, which are Korean Treasures.
In addition to this statue, there were several beautiful paintings distributed throughout the hermitage grounds like the painting dedicated to Yongwang (Dragon King) in an outdoor shrine, as well as a couple of paintings housed inside the Daeung-jeon Hall. One of these paintings was dedicated to Gwanseeum-bosal, while the other was a Shinjung Taenghwa (Guardian Mural). All three were beautifully rendered.
The Dragon King inside the Shinjung Taenghwa / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
After exiting the main hall, I was called over for a cup of tea by the abbot of the hermitage. From time to time, I’ve been lucky enough to share a cup of tea with an abbot or monk at a temple or hermitage and discuss the history and artwork of the location.
What was so different about this hermitage, which I was later to find out, is that the abbot was also the monk-artist behind the three beautiful paintings I had seen at Baekryeon Hermitage. Not only that, but he creates these altar paintings, known as “taenghwa” in Korean, for other temples and hermitages in the province, as well.
After having some tea and a few slices of apple, the abbot kindly guided me towards his workshop. Here, he showed me his latest projects. He told me how difficult it was to create a certain painting effect on a hat for one of the deities in the Shinjung Taenghwa inside the main hall. He then went on to show me the rough sketches he had of his paintings before their completion, like the painting of Gwanseeum-bosal inside the Daeung-jeon Hall. After unfurling these rough sketches, he then brought me to the corner where all his art supplies were located. He had a mountain of them, which only further demonstrated the popularity of his artwork in the region.
The rough sketch of the Bodhisattva of Compassion inside the Daeung-jeon Hall / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
The abbot saved the best for last. Before leaving, he brought me to the hermitage kitchen, where he revealed the fourth and final of his paintings at Baekryeon Hermitage. This fourth painting was of Jowang-shin (Fireplace King Spirit). Because most visitors don’t tend to explore the kitchen when they visit a temple, they rarely get to see this Buddhist deity. Traditionally, Jowang-shin was thought of as the shaman deity of fire and the hearth. As a result, Jowang-shin was customarily found inside a Korean home. But over the past several decades, this shaman deity has all but disappeared. In this painting at Baekryeon Hermitage, Jowang-shin is sitting on his throne with a bouquet of peonies and lotus flowers on either side of the table tops. Also joining Jowang-shin in this painting is a woman preparing a meal and a man carrying a stack of logs to keep the kitchen fire well tended to.
Jowang-shin painting inside the hermitage kitchen / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
At the end of this wonderful little Buddhist art tour, and before I could even ask the abbot his name, he excused himself for the morning prayer service at 10 a.m. But with the little time we spent together, I came to appreciate the devotion, dedication and skill it takes to create the beautiful Buddhist artwork that occupies the thousands of temple grounds throughout Korea. And now, the once nameless artists behind all of this beautiful Buddhist artistry has a face.
Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published four books on Korean Buddhism. He runs the website Dale's Korean Temple Adventures.