• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.210-223
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• 2014

When sarira reliquary was found in stone pagoda of Mireuksa Temple, there were 494 gold artifacts, including inner gold pot, gold plate with inscription for Sarira enshrinement, etc. Most of gold artifacts were crafted, but there were 22 gold plates and 4 gold ingots, which did not have any specific shape. It was considered that they had not been crafted. Since gold exists as a metal rather than a metallic oxide in nature, in general, it can be crafted by melting and shaping. However, gold in nature has impurities so it has to be refined to have malleability. The characteristic features were identified through the analysis of gold artifacts from sarira reliquary found in stone pagoda of Mireuksa Temple. The analysis result showed that there were 3 types of gold; pure gold artifacts, artifacts produced with silver containing gold and natural gold ingots. Inner gold pot, gold earrings and gold small beads were produced with pure gold and they contained less than 1wt.% of copper. It seemed like they were produced as pure gold to be shaped by hammering. Gold plate with inscription, tweezers, gold earrings, ingots, etc. were produced with silver containing gold as they had to be more solid. Gold ingots seemed to be natural gold considering the distribution of silver and copper in them, but it cannot be concluded as there are not enough information on gold ingots in Korea. The comprehensive research on gold ingots from various regions in Korea has to be carried out to confirm the above. Sarira Reliquary showed the very sophisticated gold craftsmanship. Gold ingots with the inscriptions, which say 1 nyang, were approximately 14g. Considering the weight of these ingots as standard, weights of other ingots were half nyang(7g), 2 nyang(28g), etc.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.3-11
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• 2007

We study, in this paper, on the decorative design of the Treasure-architectural form for the Silla Buddhist reliquary and this research went through the observation on the Buddhist Reliquaries of the Song-Lim-Sa, the Eastern-Western three floor pagodas in the Kam-Eun-Sa, the three floor pagodas in the Bul-Guk-Sa and the reportedly discovered Nam-Won. The Buddhist reliquaries of these 5 Reliquaries, when compared with those of China and Japan in the same period, they worshiped the Buddhist reliquary as a Buddhist God itself and put them as a part of the architectural decoration, being installed in the construction forms. In the form and the composition of the architecture, we can see those having been designed with very detailed and brightly decorated form. The Buddhist reliquaries in the Song-Lim-Sa and Kam-Eun-Sa, the most important ones in this research, were in a royal palace shape having completely the altar part, interior space part, and the ceiling part, which inform us the whole structure of the architecture in details. In particular, for the case of Kam-Eun-Sa, the columns in the shape of bamboo trees, the expression of the gates, the terrace of double parts formed of word-shape Man, and the statue of a general with superhuman ability in the shrine explain us the description of the Gyun-Bo-Tap-Pum of Lotus Sutra. After all these researches, we conclude that the Buddhist reliquaries in form of the Treasure-architecture represented the architectural style of the same period as a form of industrial arts and we can see that they tried to use all of their highly skilled and talented methods to describe the Buddhist Pure Land.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

The gilded bronze Sarria reliquary(National Treasure No. 325-1) excavated from a five story tower in Songlim Temple is considered as a very important Sarria reliquary of Unified Silla Dynasty Kingdom along with glass Sarria containers excavated in package. It was found that this Sarria container was in a very weak condition in the conservation dept. of National Museum of Korea due to the wearing of the inside wood and the decay of the gilded bronze, so a conservation treatment was conducted by focusing on the prevention of further decay and wearing. Also because there is little information about Sarria reliquary, detailed investigation by means of precision actual measurements, microscopic examination and X-ray photography was carried out.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.14 no.1 s.41
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• pp.21-39
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• 2005

This study is to examine the Severe-Ornament (Vyuha :Sanskrit) of wooden pagodas in Shilla period in order to assume a detailed shape of wooden pagodas called the palace style, the multi-story style, the towered namsion style, that were built at the temples in Gyeongju during Shilla period. The Severe-Ornament had been used traditionally by installing a Buddhist image, Guardians, Sarira and by printing a color. The other hand, The roof tiles and tiles were annexed to the Severe-Ornament so as to enhance the value of the wooden pagodas. The Vyuha had been used not only to install a highly valued Buddhist image in the wooden pagodas but also to represent an important part of ritual art of Silla period. Therefore, it was possible to find out a variety of details of the wooden pagodas in Shilla period.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.137-152
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• 2007

The purpose of this article is making investigation of the principal composition of the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple through ornaments of a case preserving relics of Buddha in the east and west pagodas of Gameunsa temple. This research has an important meaning in clarifying that the concept of placement two Buddhas together with lotus sutra, which was only applied to Bulkuksa temple, has been extended to Gameunsa temple. And this observation gave us a clear explanation for the principal composition at the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple plans. The author obtained the following conclusion from this article : The cases preserving relics of the Buddha for the west and east pagodas are globally in similar form as the type of a royal palace. But the different points between eastern and western can be seen on the existence of Buddhist statues on the base floor, set-up of the gate at railings, and 4 lion statues at a coner of the base floor. In the western pagoda, there are Buddha statues above the base-floor of the cases preserving relics. These Buddha statues are composed of a boy monks and angels with playing music for the praise of the Sakyamuni Buddha lecturing the Lotus sutra at YoungChui Mountain. On the other hand, in the eastern pagoda, Buddha statues on the cases preserving relics are composed of a the Four Devas and monks as a defending God of the nation of Buddha. In the eastern pagoda, one can see something that does not exist in the western pagoda, which is a gate located in railing of a case preserving the relics. This gate described the scene of the Sakyamuni Buddha entering into the pagoda of 7 treasures. In a corner of the case preserving relics in the eastern pagoda, there is another thing which does not exist in the western pagoda. This is a sculpture of a lion which symbols the seat of Lion supporting the Buddha in the Dabotap(the pagoda of 7 treasures). When we observe the form and structure, the descriptions at the railings, the gate, the shrine, the statue of a lion, and the accessories in jewelries, at the cases preserving the relics in the eastern pagoda, one can realize that they have the same combination structures between the ones at Dabotaps in Bulguksa temple and those in China as well as in Japan, all of which represent the Gyun-Bo-Tap-Pum of Lotus Sutra. Among the distribution rules in the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple, the application of the ideal of lotus was known to be effected only to Bulguksa temple. But from the result of the present article, it is more clearly proved by applying the Gameunsa temple that the distribution theory in the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple was in fact based on the ideal of lotus.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.13
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• pp.59-69
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• 2012

The flower type ornament of the gilt bronze palace-type sarira reliquary among those sarira reliquaries of the East Pagoda at the Gameunssa Temple Site, which is the Treasure No. 1359 owned by the National Museum of Korea, was separated from the sarira reliquary in November 2010, thus conducting conservation treatments to be done on two items including the gilt bronze palace-type sarira reliquary during the period of March-October 2011. Those conservation treatments were carried out by following the process of removing the coated areas having excessive gross and bubbles, re-coating with Incralac, and then strengthening both the cracked areas and the separated flower-type ornaments with woven glass fiber after rejoining. For those areas where removal of gloss and bubbles at the coating and adhesive areas was not possible, the gloss and bubbles were made less perceivable through matting treatment and coloring.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.86-109
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• 2009

Mireuksa Temple was founded during the reign of King Mu of Baekje(AD 600-641). The circumstance of the construction of this temple is documented in "Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samgukyusa)". The pagoda named stone pagoda at Mireuksaji temple stands outside the main sanctuary of the western area. The south and west sides of the stone pagoda have completely collapsed, leaving only the eastern facade of six of its levels intact. Through the recent discovery of sarira reliquary we can see that the erection of this pagoda was in 639. So owing to accumulation of excavation results about Baekje temple site and vigorous academic exchange, it is possible that architecture of western pagoda at Mireuksaji temple can be understood in connection with the architectural development of wooden pagoda from 6th to early 7th century in East Asia. So this study is on the consideration of building of this pagoda putting first structure of upper part and cross-shaped space in 1st floor. It was considered that the material characteristics as stone could be applied to the temple pagoda architecture of large scale. The results are as follows. First, it had been built in recognition that the outer and inner part of pagoda should be separated. As it is the expression of structural system in temple pagoda architecture of large scale at that time. In pagoda there was a self-erected structure and the members of outer part of it were constructed additionally. Second, in Mireuksaji stone pagoda there is central column with stones. With inner part of pagoda it can be regarded as mixed structural system that constitutes central contral column and inner structural part. And it could be a kind of middle step to more developed structure of whole as wooden pagodas in Japan. Third, as the sarira reliquary was in central column on the first floor, the cross-shaped space could be made. The formation of this space was so on the natural meaning of sarira that the concept as memorial service of graves could be apllied to the pagoda. The style of tomb in Baekje was expressed to the space of 1st floor in pagoda where Sarira had been mstalled. That was not only effective presentation of symbolic space but also easier method in the use of same material.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.43
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• pp.441-483
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• 2021

The introduction of dongbal[bara] is in line with Buddhism which was transmitted from India through China. Therefore, this paper tracked down the records of dongbal in Indian and Chinese Buddhism, and especially in scriptures and in ritual texts of Korean Buddhism, and studied the functionality and the use of dongbal, and the attributes of Baramu. Among the scriptures that record dongbal, 『Myobeopyeon hwagyeong(妙法蓮華經)』(A.D.406) is the earliest to be translated. The records of bara in the scriptures were written as dongbal(銅鈸) mostly, and that it was used as ritual tool(法具), instrumental offering, and religious ornament(莊嚴物). The oldest record which can verify that dongbal was used in Korea is 『Seodaesajajaeryugijang(西大寺資財流記帳)』(A.D.780). The oldest cymbals-like relic remaining today, the reliquary from the temple Gameunsa built in A.D.628, dates back to the early period of Unified Silla. This indicates that dongbal has been used at Korean temples by the 7th century at least. The records of dongbal(銅鈸) written in cheong-gyu(淸規, buddhist monastic rules) and ritual texts are classified as myeongbal(鳴鈸) and dongbal(動鈸). The letter 'myeong(鳴)' of myeongbal means to make a sound, and thus myeongbal refers to clash and make the sound of the bara. It is verified that myeongbal had certain established rules and methods. It appears that dongbal(動鈸) refers to Baramu(the cymbals dance) since the letter 'dong(動)' means movement or to move. Hence, the concept of movement was added to the signification of myeongbal, and became dongbal(動鈸), and then developed into baramu being transmitted until today. There are 8 types of Baramu transmitted in Korean Buddhist rituals, and they could be classified into purifying ritual, inviting ritual, protecting ritual, offering ritual, bathing ritual, dressing ritual, saluting ritual, and praising ritual according to their attributes.