| Samgak-san New Buddha Statue found on Insu-bong September 2020 |
A stone statue of a Buddha (probably the Amita Buddha of Western Heaven), with its body and head
separated, was newly discovered by some unknown hiker on September 12th of 2020 (after very
heavysummer rains caused small landslides, one of which exposed this treasure). It was excavated
by the Bukhan-san National Park authorities on Sept. 14th. Researchers from the Cultural Heritage
Administration now believe that it was carved in the early years of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).
This fairly ordinary granite statue was found in an obsure-wilderness gorge on the northwest slope
of Samgak-san Insu-bong Peak within the territory of Goyang City (NW of Seoul), near the eastern
middle of the national park. We do not yet know whether this means that there was once a hermitage
in or above that gorge, somehow connected to the great Doseon-sa Monastery about on kilometer
away (to the SE); research will continue. This statue will probably end-up in the National Museum collection.
separated, was newly discovered by some unknown hiker on September 12th of 2020 (after very
heavysummer rains caused small landslides, one of which exposed this treasure). It was excavated
by the Bukhan-san National Park authorities on Sept. 14th. Researchers from the Cultural Heritage
Administration now believe that it was carved in the early years of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).
This fairly ordinary granite statue was found in an obsure-wilderness gorge on the northwest slope
of Samgak-san Insu-bong Peak within the territory of Goyang City (NW of Seoul), near the eastern
middle of the national park. We do not yet know whether this means that there was once a hermitage
in or above that gorge, somehow connected to the great Doseon-sa Monastery about on kilometer
away (to the SE); research will continue. This statue will probably end-up in the National Museum collection.
