Octagonal Five-story Stone Pagoda of Sujongsa Temple, Namyangju

186, Bukhangang-ro 433beon-gil, Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do.

Located in the half way up Ungilsan Mountain, Octagonal Five-story Stone Pagoda at Sujongsa Temple, Namyangju is a stone pagoda built in the Joseon Dynasty. Sujongsa Temple is believed to have been first built in the 5th year of King Sejo's reign of the Joseon Dynasty. This stone pagoda was originally located in the eastern ridge of the temple, but later moved next to Daeungjeon Hall,

During the process of disassembling and repairing the pagoda in 1957, 19 pieces of Buddha statues were found in the main body and the roof stone of the first floor. And additional 12 pieces were discovered in the roof stones of the second and third floor while it was being moved in 1970. The ink engravings found along with the Buddha statues suggest that the pagoda was built in the 23rd year of King Seongjong's reign(1493) and repaired in the 6th year of King Injo's reign.

The stone pagoda has the typical shape of those in the early Joseon Dynasty, which keeps the traditional feature of octagonal stone pagodas in the Goryeo Dynasty while becoming smaller and having more decorations. A pedestal stone was put on the foundation stone and then octagonal stone platform was laid. The platform is decorated with lotus facing downward and lotus patterns with 16 petals while the five-storied bodies are characterized by octagonal shape, and edges of roof stones are decorated with soft curves, circular columns and roof support. The top of the pagoda consists of two layers of triangular patterns that resemble a gable roof, and the topmost pillar was decorated with lotus bud shaped orb.

Among other stone pagodas of the Joseon Dynasty, Octagonal Five-story Stone Pagoda at Sujongsa Temple is the only one with the most definitive year of construction. It is highly evaluated historically and academically thanks to stable proportion and delicate and exquisite patterns carved on from the foundation stone to the upper part of the pagoda despite of its relatively small size.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08