Yangju Hoeamsaji Museum Hosts 'Daegaram Hoeamsa 262'

Planned Exhibition... Confirmation of UNESCO World Heritage Site Hoamsaji Heritage

Yangju Hoheamsaji Museum 'Daegaram Hoheamsa 262' Poster.

The Hoheamsaji Museum in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, announced on the 23rd that the new special exhibition "Great Temple Hoheamsa 262" will open at 2 p.m. on the 24th and run until February 2nd next year in the second-floor special exhibition hall.

This exhibition centers on the record "Cheonbosan Hoheamsa Sujogi" by Mogeun Lee Saek, a Neo-Confucian scholar and renowned literary figure of the Goryeo Dynasty, which depicts the former appearance of Hoheamsa Temple.

Without any special pictorial materials and with only the site remaining, the "Cheonbosan Hoheamsa Sujogi," which detailed the grandeur of the old great temple as if seen with the eyes and left it for posterity, is considered an important document of the Yangju Hoheamsaji site, currently being pursued for World Heritage registration.

The exhibition first discusses the deep relationship between the two royal courts of Goryeo and Joseon and Hoheamsa Temple, then addresses the anti-Buddhist and pro-Confucian policies following the dynastic change, as well as the Neo-Confucian scholars who nonetheless showed a favorable view toward Buddhism.

In particular, although Mogeun Lee Saek was a leading Neo-Confucian scholar of his time, he also left many traces of exchanges with the contemporary Buddhist community. The exhibition reveals his sense of mission that led him to focus on Hoheamsa, the central temple of the era, through his writings.

Another highlight of this exhibition is the attempt to visualize the record. The contents of "Cheonbosan Hoheamsa Sujogi," written as if looking down on Hoheamsa from above, are presented through immersive four-sided video projections.

Visitors entering the exhibition space can experience moving through the perspectives of the video that follow the record of "Cheonbosan Hoheamsa Sujogi," allowing them to appreciate various parts of Hoheamsa Temple and share the panoramic view of the great temple as Mogeun Lee Saek saw and felt it at the time.

An official from the city stated, "This special exhibition 'Great Temple Hoheamsa 262' was prepared to promote the value of 'Cheonbosan Hoheamsa Sujogi,' the most important record that proves the historical presence of the Yangju Hoheamsaji site."