A Comparative Studies on the Korean Brick Pagoda

한국전탑(韓國塼塔)에 관한 비교론적(比較論的) 연구(硏究)

Bricks are the earliest man-made building materials. Small-size bar bricks were found in use in the Warring States Period(戰國時代) in China. During the Qin(秦) and the Han(漢) Dynasties, brick constructions were built on a larger scale, but most of them were tombs. In case of Korea, bricks were found in use in the Three Kingdoms Period, but also most of them were tombs. Starting from the Unified Silla Period(統一新羅時代), brick gradually became a universal practice to built Buddhist Pagodas with bar bricks. Brick pagodas emergence marked a stage where technological progress made it possible for man to built high-rise brick work, and their dvelopment further perfected masonry technique and enabled building technology to attain new heights. Though from the very start brick pagodas existed side by side with stone pagodas, at the enitial stage they were overshadowed by their wooden counterparts and stone counterparts, because masonry thechiques were then still rather primitive, while woodwork and stonework had already reached a fairly advaced stage. The pagodas in ancient Korea were closely related to the Chinese stupa, which consisted of three parts, namely, the base, the body and the spire. The fact was, soon after the stupas were introduced into Korea, the Korean stupas began to develop features of their own. Korean brick pagodas were made up of a single-storeyed square base, multi-storeyed square body with a small gate, and a steel post with several layers of lotus flower superimposed one on the other.