Gokseong Taeansa Jeokinseonsa Pagoda to Be Designated as a National Treasure

Nationally Designated Cultural Heritage Elevated to National Treasure
Extremely High Historical and Academic Value

Gokseong County in Jeollanam-do (Governor Cho Sangrae) announced on the 31st that the ‘Gokseong Taeansa Jeokinseonsa Pagoda’, a state-designated cultural heritage treasure, has been preliminarily designated for elevation to National Treasure status. This comes 61 years after its designation as a Treasure in 1963.

The ‘Gokseong Taeansa Jeokinseonsa Pagoda’, which will become Gokseong County’s first National Treasure, is the stupa of Jeokinseonsa Hyecheol, who founded the Dongnisan School, one of the Nine Mountain Zen Schools of the Unified Silla period. He was given the posthumous title Jeokin and the pagoda title Joryuncheongjeong by King Gyeongmun of Silla.

Taansan Seoktap at Taansa Temple, Gokseong.

The ‘Gokseong Taeansa Jeokinseonsa Pagoda’ is a typical octagonal round stupa with a separately constructed frame-style base. On the lower base stone, lion statues of different forms are carved in relief.

On each side of the main body stone, wooden architectural elements such as columns and beams are carved in imitation, and the door panels and Four Heavenly Kings are delicately depicted in a planar fashion, expressing both dynamic and restrained sculpting techniques within a single structure.

The overall sense of proportion and aesthetic form are outstanding, and the roof stone realistically reproduces the eaves curves and wooden elements of traditional hanok architecture. It is presumed that the best stonemason of the era constructed it, giving it high artistic and technical value.

Additionally, the inscription on the ‘Taeansa Jeokinseonsa Pagoda Stele’ clearly records the identity of Jeokinseonsa and the construction period of the pagoda (861), making it a key reference work for the chronology of stone art. Four base stones around the frame-style base remain, and it is the only Silla-era stupa to have a pagoda hall facility and documented examples of ritual worship for the founding patriarch, making its historical and academic value extremely high.

After a 30-day preliminary announcement period and the collection and review of opinions from various sectors, the Gokseong Taeansa Jeokinseonsa Pagoda will be designated as a National Treasure by the Cultural Heritage Committee of the National Heritage Administration.

Governor Cho Sangrae of Gokseong County stated, “As our county’s first National Treasure has been preliminarily designated, I would like to express my gratitude to all residents who have given their unwavering support for its elevation over the years,” adding, “We will continue to actively discover and preserve our county’s cultural heritage so that it may represent not only our region but the entire nation.”