Wooden Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Triad and Clay Ten Underworld Kings of Seonwonsa Temple, Namwon

The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva triad and most of the ten underworld kings enshrined in Myeongbujeon Hall in Seonwonsa Temple, Namwon were produced in 1610 (The 2nd year of the reign of Gwanghaegun of Joseon) by Wono, a master monk sculptor together with his eight assistants. The statue of Taesan, the seventh King of Hell and Ghost King were made in 1646 (The 24th year of the reign of King Injo of Joseon) by a monk sculptor named Dosaek and others. A total of 25 statues and 18 relics inside the Buddha Statue have been designated as treasures. The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva triad and most of the ten underworld kings enshrined in Myeongbujeon Hall in Seonwonsa Temple, Namwon were originally made in Wibongsa Temple in Wanju and moved to their current location in the 1910s. The statues of Buddha enshrined in Myeongbujeon Hall in Seonwonsa Temple well reflect the styles of statues of Buddha in the early seventeenth century. The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva triad and its dependents have remained together as a complete structure. As the period and sculptors of those works have been identified, they have been recognized as crucial relics that can reveal the belief in afterlife from the early seventeenth century, right after the Japanese invasion of Korea (Imjin War).

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